Rice University
33-13, 15-6
UCF
19-32, 7-14
Owls Rally Past UCF 8-7 Sunday
5/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 10, 2009
HOUSTON -- Junior catcher Diego Seastrunk first came up with a clutch three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the score, he then hung-on to the ball for the final out in the game's deciding collision at the plate to close out the Rice baseball team's 8-7 victory over visiting UCF in the finale of the three-game Conference USA weekend series Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park.
Seastrunk came up big on both sides of the ball Sunday. Trailing 7-4 with two men on base and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Channelview, Tex., nativeknocked a pitch over the right field wall to tie the game 7-7.
After Rice had grabbed the lead with a run in the eighth to make it 8-7, the Knights started a two-out rally with a hit and a walk to put the tying run in scoring position. When UCF's Kiko Vasquez stroked a base hit into left field, Knight pinch-runner Matt Manning rounded third and dashed for the plate. In almost one motion, Owl left-fielder Michael Fuda scooped the ball on a charge and fired a strike to home. Fuda's throw was in time and Seastrunk was able to make the tag. More importantly, Seastrunk hung on to the ball for the game's final out as he and Manning got tangled-up in the home plate area.
With the win the Owls (33-13 overall, 16-6 in C-USA) claimed the weekend series from UCF 2-1 and remain in sole possession of first place in the league standings. The C-USA regular season ends next weekend and the league's championship tournament begins May 20 in Hattiesburg, Miss.
It was Rice that used some aggressive base-running for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Brock Holt reached on a UCF fielding error, a walk and Chad Mozingo's fielder's choice put runners on the corners. Anthony Rendon singled-home Holt for the first run of the game. Rick Hague then reached on a fielder's choice and runners were back on first and third. Mozingo and Hague then executed a textbook double-steal where Mozingo scored to move in front 2-0.
UCF came right back with a run in the top of the second. Brandon Romans reached on an Owl fielding error and moved up two stations on consecutive ground outs. He scored on a base hit by Chris Duffy to cut the margin in half. 2-1.
The Knights vaulted into the lead with a four-run fourth. Four-consecutive walks in the inning by Rice pitchers were the key. One run scored on a wild pitch, one was walked-in and Shane Brown's bases-loaded hit with two away plated two more to give UCF a 5-2 advantage.
Rice answered with a run in the bottom of the frame. Steven Sultzbaugh blasted a home run over the left field wall to make the score 5-3. The Blue & Gray scratched-out one more in the sixth. Seastrunk, Sultzbaugh and Jimmy Comerota all had consecutive singles to load the bases. Seastrunk scored on a fielder's choice that cut the Knight lead to one, 5-4.
UCF countered with two more runs on the board in the top of the seventh. Eric Kallstrom was hit by a pitch and Brennan Romans singled and stole second to put runners on second and third. Both scored on base hit by Beau Taylor that made it 7-4.
Seastrunk's fourth homer of the season in the bottom of the inning scored Rendon and Fuda to tie the game, 7-7. In the eighth Comerota led off with a single up the middle and went to third on a base hit to right by Mozingo. Comerota scored on a Knight wild pitch to put the Owls in front 8-7.
Sophomore left-hander Matt Evers was the Rice winning pitcher. He kept UCF off the scoreboard for the final two frames to move to 4-2 on the season. Junior Mike Ojala started on the mound for the Blue & Gray and pitched 3.0 innings in his first outing since April 18. Ojala allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out four. Freshman Matthew Reckling and senior Jordan Rogers combined to pitch the middle four innings.
Offensively the Owl trio of Seastrunk, Comerota and Rendon all had three hits each on the day to pace a 12-hit attack. The final Rice home game of the 2009 regular season is scheduled for Tuesday (May 12) against Louisiana-Lafayette. First pitch with the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 6:30 pm at Reckling Park.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Evers, Matt (4-2)
L: D.J. Hicks (4-5)
Batting:
RBI: Colin Arnold 1 ; Shane Brown 2 ; Beau Taylor 2 ; Chris Duffy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Eric Kallstrom 1 ; Brandon Romans 2 ; Kiko Vazquez 1 ; D.J. Hicks 1 ; Chris Duffy 1 ; Jake Huxtable 1
SB: Brandon Romans 1
HBP: Eric Kallstrom 1
PO: Beau Taylor 1 ; Kiko Vazquez 1
Batting:
HR: Seastrunk, Diego 1 ; Sultzbaugh, Steven 1
RBI: Holt, Brock 1 ; Rendon, Anthony 1 ; Seastrunk, Diego 3 ; Sultzbaugh, Steven 1
SH: Sultzbaugh, Steven 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Holt, Brock 1 ; Mozingo, Chad 1 ; Rendon, Anthony 1 ; Fuda, Michael 1 ; Seastrunk, Diego 2 ; Sultzbaugh, Steven 1 ; Comerota, Jimmy 1
SB: Mozingo, Chad 1 ; Hague, Rick 1
