HOUSTON (Interstat) — In a taut pitchers’ duel defined by dominant relief work, the visiting BYU Cougars edged the Houston Cougars 3-2 on Thursday night at M.O. Campbell Center, with both teams moving to 16-16 on the season.

The most important part of the game was the collective effort of the BYU bullpen, which delivered 8 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball. After starter Wayland Crane allowed one run on two hits over the first 4 1/3 innings, relievers Garrison Sumner and Crane, who re-entered the game, completely stifled the Houston offense. The duo combined to face 26 batters without surrendering a hit, walking three and striking out 10.

Sumner, named the top star for BYU, was particularly brilliant in a bounce-back performance. Entering with one out in the fifth inning, he fired 4 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run while striking out seven. This outing starkly contrasted his previous appearance on April 2 against Baylor, where he was tagged for five earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Sumner earned the win.

Houston’s offense was limited to just three hits, two of which left the ballpark. Xavier Perez cut into BYU’s early lead with a solo home run, his ninth of the season, in the third inning. Cade Climie brought Houston within a run with another solo shot in the eighth, his third of the year. Those were the only extra-base hits for the home team.

BYU built its lead with early opportunistic hitting, amassing 11 hits in the game. They struck in the first inning when Ezra McNaughton doubled and later scored on an RBI single from Jones. They added two crucial insurance runs in the fourth. Matt Hansen, who finished 3 for 4 with two doubles, singled and eventually scored on a groundout by Anderson. A subsequent groundout by McNaughton plated Erickson, who had also singled.

Houston’s pitching staff, after a rocky start, settled in to keep the game close. Reliever Caden Cooper took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits over three innings of work. The Houston bullpen quartet of Max McCraray, Harrison Boushele, and Chris Scinta followed with 4 1/3 scoreless frames, scattering three hits and striking out four to give their team a chance.

BYU threatened to extend its lead in the sixth, putting a runner on third with one out after a pair of Houston errors, but Boushele struck out Erickson and got Anderson to fly out to left to end the threat. In the ninth, BYU put two runners on against Scinta, but the Houston closer struck out Jones and Wolfgramm looking to escape unscathed.

Sumner closed the game in the ninth, working around Climie’s homer in the previous inning. He induced a groundout from Helton, a flyout from Savattere, and a game-ending groundout from pinch-hitter Max to secure the series-opening victory.

The two teams continue their three-game series on Friday and Saturday in Houston. BYU will next face Lamar on Monday before hosting Arizona State. Houston will visit Texas A&M on Tuesday before embarking on a Big 12 conference series at West Virginia.