HOUSTON (Interstat) — Riley Jackson launched two home runs and drove in three as the Houston Cougars staged a massive comeback to defeat the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 13-9 on Friday night at M.O. Campbell Center.

The game’s most important sequence was a seven-run bottom of the sixth inning that erased a four-run deficit and gave Houston its first lead, a rally defined by opportunistic offense and Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s unraveling control.

Houston improved to 8-5, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell to 5-10. The result defied a pregame projection from Interstat, which gave Houston a 92.3% probability to win but forecasted a low-scoring 4-2 victory.

The Golden Lions ambushed Houston starter Schmitz immediately, batting around in a nine-run first inning highlighted by Aaron Grant’s grand slam down the left field line. Zach Wieder added an RBI double earlier in the frame. Houston’s bullpen was summoned after just 1 1/3 innings from Schmitz.

The Cougars began chipping away in the second on back-to-back solo homers from Carsten Sabathia and Jackson. They added three more in the fourth, capitalizing on a fielding error by Arkansas-Pine Bluff third baseman Saumell, a wild pitch and an RBI fielder’s choice from Fields to cut the lead to 9-5.

The tide turned decisively in the sixth. After a leadoff single from Tyler Cox and two hit batters loaded the bases, a wild pitch scored one run. An RBI single from Perez and a run-scoring groundout from Maxcey made it 9-8. Jackson then delivered the pivotal blow, a two-run double down the left field line that gave Houston a 10-9 advantage. Cox followed with a two-run single to cap the outburst and extend the lead to 12-9.

Jackson, who entered the game in a 2-for-15 slump over his previous five contests, finished 4 for 5. He added a solo homer in the eighth inning for his third RBI. Cox also had three hits and two RBIs.

Grant led the Golden Lions, going 2 for 3 with his four RBIs on the first-inning slam. Wieder was 2 for 4 with four RBIs.

The early offensive explosion was negated by Houston’s bullpen. After the first, four Cougar relievers combined to allow just two hits over the final eight innings. Ryne Rodriguez earned the win with three perfect innings of relief, striking out five. Jackson Baker added two scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff starter Jalen Porter took the loss, surrendering five earned runs on no hits over five innings, plagued by five walks. The Golden Lions used six pitchers, with Jack Hasten providing 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

The teams continue their three-game series on Saturday.