Rice University Athletics
Owls Baseball Downs Houston, 3-2
5/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2001
HOUSTON -- Freshman Austin Davis knocked all three Rice runs with a home run and a double, leading the ninth-ranked Owls to a 3-2 win over Houston Wednesday night at Reckling Park, clinching the 2001 Silver Glove for the Owls.
Davis smashed a two-run shot to left off UH starter Keith Whatley in the fifth, then knocked in Matt Fox with a two-out double to right-center in the seventh for the winning run.
Davis' big hits made a winner out of Philip Tribe (3-2), the second of three Owl pitchers. The junior gave the Cougars only two hits over four innings, striking out three. Bryan Harris (3-2), the second of four Cougar pitchers, was tagged with the loss.
Houston got its only runs on a two-run double by Chris Snyder in the first off Rice starter Kenny Baugh, but the Owl ace worked out of bases-loaded jams in the second and third innings to keep the Cougars from widening their lead. Over the last six innings against Baugh, Tribe and Philip Barzilla, Houston left only two more runners on base.
Barzilla gave up a leadoff single in the ninth, but retired the next three Cougars to notch his ninth save of the year, equaling the Rice season record set by Tim Byrdak in 1994 and tied by Matt Anderson in 1997.
The win was the Owls' third against the Cougars in this year's five-game series, returning the Silver Glove to South Main for the third time in the four-year history of the trophy.
Each team had six players named to the all-series team. For Rice, Hunter Brown (3b), Davis (of), Billy Jacobson (of), Steven Herce (p), Tribe (p) and Phillip Ghutzman (wild card), for Houston, Thanos Papavasiliou (1b), Gabe Lucas (2b), Hyung Cho (ss). Michael Bourn (of), Snyder (c), and Whatley (p).
Next for Rice (39-15) is a three-game Western Athletic Conference series at Fresno State beginning Friday night, while Houston (28-24) returns to Conference-USA play this weekend at South Florida.
