HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Houston Cougars, facing a seven-run deficit and a heavily favored opponent, staged a dramatic comeback to stun the Texas Longhorns 9-7 in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday night at M.O. Campbell Center.

The Longhorns, whose season record fell to 20-4, appeared in complete control, building a 7-0 lead by the middle of the fifth inning despite managing only three hits. They capitalized on wildness and mistakes by Houston pitching early, scoring a run in the first on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and adding three more in the fourth, highlighted by a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk.

Texas broke it open in the fifth. With the bases loaded and two outs, second baseman Ethan Mendoza laced a two-run double to right field. He then scored, along with Jalen Duplantier, on a fielding error by Houston third baseman Xander Perez, stretching the lead to seven.

The most important part of the game, however, was the response of the Houston bullpen, spearheaded by Harrison Boushele. Entering with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth and his team down 7-0, Boushele struck out Texas’ Peyton Ermis to limit the damage. He then delivered 3 2/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief with four strikeouts, stabilizing the game and giving the Cougar offense time to mount its rally. This performance was a stark turnaround for Boushele, who had allowed four earned runs in one inning against Kansas State just 11 days prior.

His effort set the stage for the comeback. Houston (13-11) began chipping away in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs on a sacrifice bunt by Tanner Cox and a two-run single by Wyatt Broussard.

The Cougars then exploded for six runs over the seventh and eighth innings to complete the reversal. Designated hitter Easton Winfield led off the seventh with a solo home run. Later in the inning, Broussard reached on a fielder’s choice that scored a run, then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, allowing another run to cross, cutting the deficit to 7-6.

In the eighth, catcher Riley Jackson tied the game with a solo homer to center field off Texas reliever Travis Higgins. After Winfield singled and eventually scored the go-ahead run on Cox’s single to right, Houston added an insurance run on a bases-loaded walk by Trey Fields against new pitcher Kade Bing.

Ryne Rodriguez worked a perfect ninth inning, striking out two, to secure the victory for Houston. The comeback defied the pregame projections from Interstat, which gave Texas a 74.8% chance to win and projected a 7-4 Longhorns victory.

Texas starter Jason Flores was sharp over three hitless innings, and reliever Ethan Walker added 1 2/3 perfect frames, but the Longhorns’ bullpen could not hold the large lead. Houston finished with 10 hits to Texas’ three.

The Longhorns open a series at home against Oklahoma on Thursday. Houston begins a three-game set against Baylor at home on Friday.