HOUSTON (Interstat) — Connor Udland dominated over five scoreless innings and Carsten Sabathia drove in five runs as the Houston Cougars cruised to a 10-0 victory over the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

The game was effectively decided in a chaotic first two innings, where Houston capitalized on erratic Arkansas-Pine Bluff pitching to build an insurmountable lead. The Golden Lions used three pitchers in the bottom of the first inning alone, a sequence that set the tone for the lopsided contest.

Houston struck for three runs in the first off starter Ryland Morin and reliever Ryan Lamar. Justin Perez led off with a double and later scored on an RBI single by Sabathia. Two more runs came home on a wild pitch and a run-scoring single by Blake Fields.

The floodgates opened in the second inning. After Lamar and Spencer Watson struggled with control, loading the bases via walks and wild pitches, Sabathia stepped in against Watson and launched a grand slam to deep left field. The four-run blast, his fourth home run of the season, extended the Cougars’ lead to 7-0.

That was more than enough support for Udland, who earned the win. The Houston starter allowed just one hit—a fourth-inning single by UAPB’s Wie—and struck out five while walking one over five shutout innings. He faced minimal threat, with the Golden Lions’ only runner to reach second base against him doing so on a wild pitch following a hit-by-pitch.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff reliever Troy McLeese provided a bright spot, entering in the second inning and tossing 2 2/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts. But the Houston offense resumed its attack after he departed.

In the sixth inning, Houston third baseman Jackson LaLima put the final exclamation point on the win, clubbing a three-run homer to left field, his third of the year, to make it 10-0.

Caleb Kimble closed out the combined one-hitter for Houston, working two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts.

The most important part of the game was the disastrous first inning for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which required three pitchers and featured a hit batter, two walks, two wild pitches, and a caught stealing at home. This immediate instability on the mound handed Houston a 3-0 lead and forced UAPB to dig deeply into its bullpen early, setting the stage for Sabathia’s decisive grand slam an inning later.

The Golden Lions, who fell to 5-12, managed just the one single and drew four walks. They stranded seven runners, with their best chance to score coming in the seventh when they loaded the bases with one out against Kimble, only to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Houston improved to 10-5 with the win. The teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday.