Owls Complete Sweep Of UAB With 6-3 Win

Sunday, April 29

Birmingham, Ala.

12:00 PM

Rice University

37-11, 16-2

UAB

18-28, 5-10

Rice Owls

UAB

4/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

April 29, 2007

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Sophomore second baseman Jess Buenger went 2-for-5 with three RBI, including a two-run double to spark a four-run first inning, as the third-ranked Rice baseball team claimed a 6-3 Conference USA road win at UAB in the finale of a three-game weekend series Sunday afternoon at Young Memorial Field in Birmingham, Ala.

With the team's 10th win in a row and the 18th victory in the last 19 games, Rice improved to 37-11 overall and 16-2 in C-USA play. The Owls put four runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning and then to hang on to complete the series sweep.

Jared Gayhart started the offensive fireworks with a walk and Tyler Henley was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Joe Savery slugged a double to the gap in left-center to score one and Buenger followed with a double down the right-field line to make the score 3-0. Diego Seastrunk knocked the team's fourth-straight hit of the inning that allowed Buenger to take third. With runners on the corners, the Owls turned a delayed double-steal into a run. Seastrunk kept the Blazers occupied on the basepaths long enough for Buenger to score and stretch the lead to 4-0.

The Blazers came right back with single runs in the first and second. Levi Patmon led off the first with a walk and consecutive fielding errors on Blazer sacrifice attempts quickly loaded the bases with none away. UAB scored the unearned run on a fielder's choice and the Owls worked out of the early jam with minimal damage. In the second inning, Allen Aubin doubled with two outs and scored on a single to left by Patmon that made the score 4-2.

The teams then battled for seven scoreless innings until the final frame when Rice added a pair of insurance runs and the Blazers scored one in their last at bat. Brian Friday reached on a UAB error and both Gayhart and Henley walked to load the bases. Savery blasted a pitch to right field to score Friday with a sacrifice fly and Gayhart sprinted for third. Gayhart scored on a ground out to stretch the margin to 6-2.

UAB wasn't quite finished and attempted a final rally. Phil Bell doubled with two away and Ryan Keedy kept it alive with an RBI single to right-center. The Owls went to the bullpen where junior all-America Cole St.Clair ended the game with a strikeout on just three pitches. The brief work was good enough for St.Clair to earn his third save of the season.

Savery started on the mound and worked a total of 6.0 innings to improve his record to 6-1. The Houston native allowed just one earned run on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts. He was relieved by Bobby Bramhall who was outstanding in piling up five strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

The Owls have won 23-consecutive conference series, home and away, dating back to March of 2005. The UAB series was the 12th time the Owls notched a 3-0 weep during the streak. The Blue & Gray has won every C-USA series since joining the league a year ago. UAB moved to 18-28 on the season and 5-10 in conference.

The baseball team now takes a break from competition as the University enters its final exams period. The Owls return to the field on May 9 for a home game against Texas State. It's the first of eight-straight home games at Reckling Park to close out the regular season schedule. Rice's next C-USA series is May 11-13 against Tulane. The team is slated to compete in the C-USA championship tournament in Greenville, N.C., May 23-27.