Houston reclaims Sanders Cup with 5-4 win

Tuesday, April 7

Huntsville

6:00 PM

14-18

Houston

16-15

Houston

Sam Houston

Photo by: Grant Sides

Houston reclaims Sanders Cup with 5-4 win

4/7/2026 10:47:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston gave up a 4-run eighth inning and could not redraw even in a 5-4 loss to Houston on Tuesday at Don Sanders Stadium.

The win for the Cougars (16-15) gives Houston the edge in the annual Don Sanders Cup series, returning the trophy to Houston after the Bearkats (14-18) had won it in 2025.

Sam Houston held the lead for the bulk of the night, scoring a pair of runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Ryan Franden and an RBI single from Hunter Alvord. Those were two of the six hits the Bearkats totaled on the night, led by Jeric Curtis' 2-for-3 night which saw him score twice and reach base three total times.

The Cougars, meanwhile, held an early 1-0 lead on an RBI triple by Xavier Perez in the third and ultimately took the lead for good on a 2-run single by Jackson LaLima to highlight the 4-run eighth.

Connor Mondey got the start and struck out four Cougars in 3.0 innings before Jonathan Anders tossed 2.1 innings, retiring seven of the eight hitters he faced. Zach Alarid followed and threw up a pair of zeros before hitting a wall to open the eighth. He was tagged with the loss being charged with three runs.

The Bearkat offense nearly got him off the hook with a pair of runs in the eighth on a wild pitch and a sac fly, but UH's Ryne Rodriguez was able to leave the tying run on third base and then went on to get the side in order in the ninth to earn his first win of the season.

UP NEXT
Sam Houston will now return to Conference USA play when it hosts Dallas Baptist for three games beginning Friday at Don Sanders Stadium. All three weekend games vs the Patriots are scheduled to be aired on ESPN+.

All Bearkat Baseball games can be followed via live stats on Statbroadcast. Fans are also encouraged to follow @BearkatsBSB on X and Instragram for updates.