Rice University Athletics
Rice University
26-10, 9-2
UAB
14-19, 1-7
Owls Top UAB 11-4 Saturday At Reckling Park
4/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2008
Box Score
UAB at Rice Photo Gallery
HOUSTON -- Sophomore Diego Seastrunk went 3-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI and run scored to pace the sixth-ranked Rice baseball team to a total of 13 hits, including six for extra bases, on the way to an 11-4 Conference USA victory over league foe UAB in the second game of a three-game weekend series Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park.
The Owls posted double-digit hits for the sixth game in a row and the team now has a six-game win streak to match. Rice improved to 26-10 on the year and 9-2 in C-USA action.
Saturday's game had similar start, and in fact the same 11-1 Rice lead as in Friday's opening game of the series. Unlike the first game, where the Blazers eventually rallied to tie the contest, Rice did not let UAB get within striking distance for a second time.
The Blue & Gray tallied three runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. The key hit was a bases-loaded single up the middle by freshman Chad Mozingo that drove in a pair of runs. Doug Simmons connected for his first career home run in the second inning to make the score 4-0.
Rice erupted for seven more in the third to break the game wide-open with an 11-0 lead. The Owls batted around with six hits and a walk. A pair of back-to-back home run shots were the highlights. Rick Hague's sixth home run of the season drove in two and gave him sole possession of the team lead in round-trippers. Hague's individual lead didn't last long, however, as Adam Zornes followed with his sixth home run of the season with a blast over the left field wall.
The Owls may have been feeling a little deja' vu when UAB scored a run in the fourth and added two more in the fifth after Blazer home runs by Jonathan Merritt and Phil Bell. Rice starting pitcher Chris Kelley worked through the jams and ended both of those innings with strikeouts. The senior from Sugar Land, Tex., had a 1-2-3 sixth and was lifted after giving up a run in the seventh. His 6.1 innings of work, where he struck out six and walked only one on the day, earned him his team-leading fifth win of the season.
Kelley was relieved by Bryan Price, who fired a sensational 1.2 innings of shutout relief where all five of the outs he recorded were by strikeout. The Owls really got an emotional lift in the ninth when junior Bobby Bell took the mound for the first time since the opening day of the 2007 season. The veteran from Aledo, Tex., allowed just one hit and struck out the last batter he faced to end the game as an 11-4 Rice win.
Offensively Rice logged double-digit hits for the 23rd time this season. The team is a lopsided 20-3 in those games, including the current six-game win streak. Seastrunk's multi-hit game was his team-leading 16th of the year. Mozingo was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Hague tallied his 11th game with two or more RBI by driving in three on the day.
UAB dropped to 14-19 on the year and 1-7 in conference. The series finale is scheduled to start at noon on Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kelley, Chris (5-1)
L: James Oliver (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Phil Bell 1 ; Luke Stewart 1
HR: Jonathan Merritt 1 ; Phil Bell 1
RBI: Jonathan Merritt 1 ; Phil Bell 2 ; Luke Stewart 1
SH: Nick Crawford 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jonathan Merritt 2 ; Phil Bell 1 ; Cody McMurry 1
SB: Brint Hardy 1
Batting:
2B: Gayhart, Jared 1 ; Buenger, Jess 1 ; Seastrunk, Diego 1
HR: Hague, Rick 1 ; Zornes, Adam 1 ; Simmons, Doug 1
RBI: Buenger, Jess 1 ; Seastrunk, Diego 1 ; Luna, Aaron 1 ; Hague, Rick 3 ; Zornes, Adam 1 ; Mozingo, Chad 2 ; Simmons, Doug 1 ; DeBiasse, Nick 1
SF: Hague, Rick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gayhart, Jared 2 ; Buenger, Jess 1 ; Seastrunk, Diego 1 ; Luna, Aaron 2 ; Hague, Rick 1 ; Zornes, Adam 1 ; Mozingo, Chad 1 ; Simmons, Doug 1 ; DeBiasse, Nick 1
HBP: Luna, Aaron 1 ; Zornes, Adam 1
