Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Houston
Ray Pitches Cougars Past Baseball, 7-0
4/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 24, 2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Junior third baseman Josh Valle collected a team-high two hits but Houston starter Jared Ray fired a complete-game shutout to help lift the Cougars to a 7-0 victory over the Thundering Herd in Friday night's Conference US A baseball game at Appalachian Power Park.
With the loss, Marshall falls to 16-23 overall, 6-10 in C-USA action while Houston improves to 18-23 on the season, 8-5 in league play.
Houston took a 2-0 lead into the top of the sixth before scoring three more times thanks to two hits and two Marshall miscues, giving the Cougars a 5-0 lead. Chris Wallace delivered a sacrifice fly and Jake Runte legged out an RBI triple to right field to highlight the frame.
Senior southpaw Andrew Blain and sophomore righty Justin Moore held Houston scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings respectively. Moore added a strikeout in his one inning of work on the hill.
The Cougars then used three hits and an error to cross the dish twice more in the top of the ninth, pushing its lead to 7-0, highlighted by an RBI single to center by Zak Presley. From there, Herd sophomore Chad Johnson entered and issued a strikeout to end the frame.
Ray moved to 3-2 on the season with his complete-game effort, striking out six batters and scattering six hits in the process. Marshall starter Dan Straily suffered the loss and falls to 3-2 on the season.
Houston struck first in the top of the first when Presley tripled to left off the wall and then came full circle when Chase Dempsay doubled off the wall in left, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Straily struck out a pair of batters in the frame.
Houston added to its lead in the top of the fourth when Wallace drove in Caleb Ramsey on an RBI groundout, extending the edge to 2-0.
Ramsey finished the evening 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Wallace drove home two runs in the winning effort for the Cougars.
Marshall received hits from senior second baseman Adam Yeager, red-shirt freshman Rhett Stafford, sophomore catcher Kevin Shackelford and sophomore shortstop Kenny Socorro in Friday's loss.
Marshall and Houston return to Power Park, Saturday, April 25 for a 2:05 p.m. ET contest. Freshman lefty Greg Williams will start for the Herd while the Cougars send freshman right-hander Michael Goodnight to the mound.
