Rice University
7-9
Gonzaga (Game 2; 45 min. after)
8-5
Owls Split Saturday Double-Header
3/10/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score| Game 1 Box Score 
| Game 2 Box Score
Recap by: John Sullivan, Rice Athletics (jsully@rice.edu)
In the nightcap of Saturday's double-header the Rice trio Ford Proctor, Trei Cruz and Chace Sarchet combined for six hits, five RBI and four runs scored while junior pitcher Kendall Jefferies came up big with career-long 6.1 innings of work, leading the Owls' baseball team to a twinbill split with visiting Gonzaga Saturday evening at Reckling Park.
Gonzaga won the first game of the day 7-5 behind a 13-hit attack and rode the momentum to a 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first inning in game two. The Bulldogs were threatening for more, but Jefferies worked his way out of the jam and proceeded to post one of the best outings of his career. The right-hander from Spring, Texas, retired 16 of 18 batters during one stretch and finished his longest collegiate outing without walking a batter and striking out three.
With Jefferies in a groove Rice took its first lead of the four-game weekend series in the third inning. Cruz, Proctor and Sarchet recorded two-out hits (along with a hit batsman) to move the Owls in front 3-1. Sarchet drove home Cruz in the bottom of the fifth for his second RBI of the night to make the score 6-1. Proctor and Braden Comeaux had RBI in the sixth to stretch lead to five runs, 6-1.
Gonzaga would not go away so easily in the seven-inning game, and collected back-to-back one-out singles in the final frame. Sophomore fireballer Garret Gayle came out of the Owl bullpen and quickly ended the game with consecutive strikeouts for a 6-1 final.
Rice held off the Gonzaga rally in game two the way the bulldogs did in the first game. The Owls were down 7-3 to start the bottom of the ninth, but started the inning with three-straight base hits to load the stations. The Bulldogs traded a Rice run for two outs on a double-play, then recorded the final out to claim the 7-5 final.
Rice had a battle on its hands the entire afternoon. Gonzaga put three runs on the board in the top of the second on three hits, but the Owls charged right back with three runs on the strength of doubles from Sarchet and Bradley Gneiting.
The Bulldogs broke the deadlock with a pair of runs in the fifth and stretched the margin to three, 6-3, with a run in the top of the seventh. Rice continued to fight, and scored a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Sarchet that made the score 6-4. Gonzaga answered with a run in the top of the ninth and hung-on for the win in the bottom of the inning.
Junior left-hander Evan Kravetz started on the mound and posted a career-high six strikeouts in 3.0 innings. Both Proctor and Cruz were a matching 4-for-7 for the two games combined.
Rice is now 7-9 on the season. Gonzaga is 8-5 overall. The finale of the four-game series is set for 1 pm Sunday at Reckling Park.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jefferies, Kendal (1-0)
L: JACOB, Alek (1-1)
Batting:
RBI: PINORINI, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: YAKE, Ernie 1
Batting:
2B: Cruz, Trei 1 ; Proctor, Ford 1
RBI: Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Proctor, Ford 3 ; Sarchet, Chase 2
SH: Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Frazier, Brandt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cruz, Trei 3 ; Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Proctor, Ford 1 ; Cox, Dominic 1
HBP: Comeaux, Braden 2 ; Collins, Justin 2 ; Cox, Dominic 1
