HOUSTON, Texas – Left-handed starting pitcher Randy Labaut was brilliant, but the Arizona Wildcats (5-1) dropped the series opener against the Houston Cougars (3-2) on a final score of 2-1 on Friday night at Schroeder Park.
 
Labaut spun a stellar outing on the mound, going 7.1 innings while allowing just two runs for a quality start. Labaut issued only one walk and struck out seven, but was saddled with the loss. His seven strikeouts tied a career high that was first set on February 21, 2018 against Arkansas.
 
Designated hitter Blake Paugh provided the Wildcats with their only run of the night on a solo home run in the top of the third inning. It was the first collegiate home run for Paugh, a sophomore.
 
Paugh's dinger gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead, however the Cougars went on to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning and grab the lead with a solo home run of their own in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Reliever Preston Price (0.2 IP) polished off the game for Arizona in relief of Labaut, logging his second scoreless relief effort of the season. He struck out one and recorded a pair of outs on 16 pitches.
 
Second baseman Cameron Cannon extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the top of the first; he finished the night 1-for-4.
 
Arizona and Houston continue their series on Saturday, Feb. 23 with a first pitch scheduled for 6:30 PM MST. Live streaming, audio, and stats can be found at UHCougars.com.