HOUSTON (Interstat) — Alex Solis delivered four dominant innings of relief, and Riley Jackson provided a critical insurance run with a ninth-inning home run as the Houston Cougars held off the Rice Owls 4-3 in a tightly contested non-conference game Tuesday night at M.O. Campbell Center.

The most important part of the game was Solis’s mid-game shutdown performance, which stabilized the contest for Houston after Rice had clawed back from an early deficit. Entering with two outs in the third inning and two runners on base, Solis escaped the jam and then proceeded to stifle the Owls’ offense. Over his four innings, he allowed no hits and just one earned run while striking out six, effectively bridging the game to Houston’s late-inning relievers and preserving a narrow lead.

Houston struck quickly against Rice starter Baker, plating two runs in the first inning. Cox singled, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on an RBI double by Xavier Perez. The Cougars added another run in the second without a hit, capitalizing on a walk, a sacrifice bunt that turned into a throwing error by Baker, and a double play.

Rice answered in the bottom of the second against Houston starter Caden Cooper. Bocachica doubled and scored on Webb’s single. Webb later came home on an RBI single by Davila, cutting the Houston lead to 3-2.

That set the stage for Solis’s entrance. After Cooper walked two batters with two outs in the third, Solis was summoned and ended the threat. He then retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings, racking up strikeouts and allowing his offense to extend the lead.

Houston did just that in the fifth when Cade Climie led off the inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the season, making it 4-2.

Rice mounted another challenge in the seventh. A hit batter, a balk, and an RBI infield single by Green brought the Owls within a run at 4-3 and chased Solis. Max McCraray entered and recorded the final out of the inning to strand the tying run.

Jackson’s solo shot in the top of the ninth off Rice reliever Jackson proved to be the decisive blow, restoring a two-run cushion.

The Owls refused to go quietly in their final at-bat. After Richie Roman recorded two outs, he hit two batters to bring the winning run to the plate. Pinch-hitter West then launched a deep fly ball to left field, but it was caught for the final out, sealing the Houston victory.

Jackson finished 2 for 4 with the home run for Houston, which improved to 18-21. Rice, which out-hit Houston 7 to 6, fell to 24-18. The result flipped the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 5-3 Rice victory, though its ELO system had given Houston a 60.6% win probability.

Houston’s bullpen, led by Solis, combined for 6.1 innings of relief, allowing just one run on two hits. Rice relievers Jackson Blank, Marco Fuentes and Logan Voelz were effective in keeping their team close, but the early deficit and Solis’s mastery proved too much to overcome.