Rice University Athletics
Rice University
25-12, 12-5
Tulane
14-19, 6-10
Owls Take Second-Straight Game at Tulane, 2-1
4/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2014
NEW ORLEANS - Rice took advantage of late Tulane miscues for the go-ahead run, and the Owl pitching tandem of Blake Fox and Matt Ditman made it stand up with a 2-1 Conference USA victory over Tulane Saturday afternoon in New Orleans, La.
With the win, and the 4-3 victory on Friday night, Rice clinched the weekend series with the finale still to play on Sunday. The Owls improved to 25-12 on the season with the team's third-straight win. Rice is 12-5 in C-USA action. Tulane is now 14-19 overall and 6-10 in league play.
Rice scored first on a day when runs would be at a premium. Skyler Ewing clubbed a one-out double to left. He scored on Connor Teykl's two-out single to right.
Fox kept the Green Wave off the board until the seventh. Garrett Deschamp led off with a double, the team's third hit of the game. Deschamp went to third on a fly out and scored on Hunter Hope's RBI single to make it 1-1.
The Owls opportunistically took the lead in the top of the eighth. John Clay Reeves started the inning with a single, but gave way to pinch runner John Williamson. Williamson dashed to second on a ground out, and he hustled an extra 90 feet to third on a Tulane passed ball. The Green Wave then had trouble getting the handle on another ground ball fielding error that allowed Williamson to come home for a new 2-1 game.
Fox worked into the ninth for a career-long 8.1 innings. The left-hander scattered six hits and a walk while tying a career-high with eight strikeouts, but after a Deschamp single Ditman was brought in to stop the threat. The right-hander notched his team-leading sixth save, and his second in as many days, with two quick outs for the 2-1 final.
The three-game C-USA series concludes on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fox, Blake (8-0)
L: Tyler Mapes (4-2)
S: Ditman, Matt (6)
Batting:
2B: Ewing, Skyler 1
RBI: Teykl, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ewing, Skyler 1 ; Williamson, John 1
CS: Hoelscher, Shane 1
Batting:
2B: Garrett Deschamp 1
RBI: Hunter Hope 1
SH: Stephen Alemais 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Garrett Deschamp 1
SB: Hunter Hope 1
