Hooks Blanked in Pitchers' Duel

Box Score

CORPUS CHRISTI - Josh Hader's scoreless sixth followed another impressive start by Jackson Nezuh on Tuesday night, but two runs in the eighth handed Amarillo a 2-0 victory in the series opener before 3,017 fans at Whataburger Field.

Hader was joined by fellow rehabbing Astros Jake Meyers and Jeremy Peña. Meyers played the full game in center field and went 0-for-4, including a lineout to left and a fly ball to center the exited the bat at 101 MPH.

Peña, leading off and playing shortstop, reached on an error in his first plate appearance before doubling to the opposite field in the third.

Jeremy Peña gets it all the way to the wall for a double! pic.twitter.com/NXPJOOTXUU

— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) May 12, 2026

Peña endured a scary collision in the sixth as he was upended at second base by Angel Ortiz who was approaching the bag following a double. The 2022 ALCS & World Series MVP then exited the game in the home half after being hit by a pitch.

Nezuh permitted only three singles over five shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 3.86 in six appearances. The 24-year-old from St. Cloud, Florida struck out three and delivered 61 of 82 pitches for strikes.

Hader, who has struck out four over three scoreless rehab innings between the Hooks and Sugar Land, breezed the first man he faced in the sixth. Ortiz then doubled but John Garcia threw him out trying to steal third. Hader completed his outing by inducing a groundout to Peña at short.

Ninth-inning singles by Will Bush and Joseph Sullivan doubled CC's hit total. Max Holy worked a walk to load the bases as the winning run but Landon Sims notched consecutive outs for his sixth save.