Rice University
15-19, 5-7
Old Dominion
10-20, 3-9
Rice Completes C-USA Sweep of ODU
4/8/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Recap by: John Sullivan, Rice Athletics (jsully@rice.edu)
HOUSTON -- The Rice baseball team exploded for new season-highs in runs (18), hits (20), RBI (17), doubles (7) and total bases (30) on the way to an 18-1 Conference USA victory in 7.0 innings over visiting Old Dominion Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park.
Rice was hungry to get a sweep of a C-USA series and quickly posted five runs on the board by batting around in the bottom of the first inning. The Owls then upped the ante with seven more on seven hits in the top of the second to stretch the early margin to 12-0. Rice went on to score in three of its next four offensive innings. Even when shortening the contest to just seven frames as per league rules, every Owl starter in the batting order had a hit and a RBI.
Sunday's offensive performance was the team's best of the year and capped a week's worth of games where the Owl bats have been flying high. In the last four games Rice has averaged 16 hits and 10 runs per game while maintaining a .699 slugging percentage thanks to 19 doubles and five home runs. Since last Sunday's game at Southern Miss the Blue & Gray has raised its team batting average an eye-opening 24 points.
Almost lost in all the offensive fireworks was another sensational start by an Owl pitcher. In just his sixth start of the season sophomore Addison Moss scattered seven hits and a walk in 6.0 innings of work. The right-hander allowed just one run while striking out six for the win. Nick Silber pitched the final scoreless frame in the 18-1 final. Rice last recorded a 7-inning win in last season's C-USA Tournament, 13-2 over Florida Atlantic.
Rice improved to 15-19 on the year and 5-7 in conference games. Old Dominion fell to 10-20 overall and 3-9 in C-USA.
The Owls have wrapped-up the homestand and has each of the next four games on the road. Rice next plays across town at Houston on Tuesday (April 10). First pitch against the Cougars, the second game of the annual season-long series to determine the winner of the Silver Glove Trophy, is set for 6:30 pm.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Moss, Addison (1-3)
L: Ryne Moore (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Cory Alexander II 1 ; Craig Lopez 1
RBI: Brian Morley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kyle Battle 1
HBP: Culver Lamb 1
Batting:
2B: Proctor, Ford 2 ; Chandler, Ryan 1 ; Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Cruz, Trei 1 ; Sarchet, Chase 2
HR: Collins, Justin 1
RBI: Proctor, Ford 1 ; Chandler, Ryan 2 ; Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Cruz, Trei 2 ; Dunlap, Andrew 1 ; Aviles, Luis 2 ; Collins, Justin 3 ; Sarchet, Chase 3 ; Gneiting, Bradley 1 ; Cox, Dominic 1
SH: Chandler, Ryan 1
SF: Cox, Dominic 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Proctor, Ford 3 ; Chandler, Ryan 1 ; Comeaux, Braden 3 ; Cruz, Trei 2 ; Dunlap, Andrew 2 ; Aviles, Luis 1 ; Collins, Justin 2 ; Sarchet, Chase 3 ; Gneiting, Bradley 1
SB: Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Gneiting, Bradley 1
HBP: Dunlap, Andrew 1 ; Collins, Justin 1 ; Sarchet, Chase 1
