Saturday, February 22
Irvine, CA
8 pm
Rice University
0-5
1
at
2
UC Irvine
3-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Rice
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
5
2
UC Irvine
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
X
2
7
1
UCI Holds On For 2-1 Win Saturday
2/22/2020 11:58:00 PM | Baseball
IRVINE, Calif. – The Owls had the potential tying run just 90 feet away on third base in the each of the last three innings but UC Irvine was able to hold on for a 2-1 win over the visiting Rice baseball team Saturday evening in Irvine, Calif.
UCI Holds Firm To Claim Series: Rice was close to tying the one-run contest in each of the last three frames. On each occasion, however, the Owls didn't get the runner to third before there were two outs in the inning and UCI was able to get the final out via strikeout. The Anteaters hung on for the 2-1 final and claimed the first two games of the three-game weekend series. Rice also had a runner in scoring position in the top of the sixth when the score was tied 1-1, but the Anteaters avoided trouble in that inning as well. For the contest the Owls were a combined 0-for-9 when batting with runners in scoring position.
Records: Rice is now 0-5 for the season while UCI improved to 3-3 overall. In each of the three previous 0-4 starts in 1964, 1977 and 2000 the Owls were able to get that year's first win in game five.
Quality Mound Work: Three pitchers saw action for Rice. Sophomore Blake Brogdon pitched at least 5.0 innings for the second consecutive start while posting a new career-high of eight strikeouts. True freshman Cristian Cienfuegos fired 2.0 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Graduate transfer Andrew Kane struck out two of the four batters he faced in a scoreless frame. The combined 14 strikeouts by Owl hurlers was a new season high, zooming past the previous season high of nine Ks set against UCI in the Friday series-opener.
Two Owls With Two Hits: The Rice tandem of Braden Comeaux and Austin Bulman both paced the team with two hits each. The Owls also had two players with two hits in both of the first two games of the season against Texas.
MIsc.: There were more than a few individual plays that were worthy of a notation in the scorebook. With a runner on base in the bottom of the second, newcomer Brayden Combs blasted a deep fly to right that UCI was able to rundown and catch on the warning track. In the bottom of the fourth, junior shortstop Trei Cruz made a sensational stop, scoop, pivot and rocket throw to first base to get the final out in an inning where UCI had already scored one run and was looking for more. The Owls were able to score a run in the top of the fifth without a base hit thanks to a walk and hit batsman. In the top of the seventh, Cade Edwards battled to force an 11-pitch at bat before being retired. Rather than hanging his head or letting that outcome get the better of him, Edwards bounced back to get a base hit in his next at bat in the top of the ninth.
Next Up: The finale of the three-game weekend road series is set for Sunday at 3 pm Central Time (1 pm Pacific). Rice head coach Matt Bragga has named junior right-hander Drake Greenwood as the Owls' starting pitcher. The Blue & Gray conclude the current road swing on Wednesday (Feb. 26) at longtime rival Texas State.
UCI Holds Firm To Claim Series: Rice was close to tying the one-run contest in each of the last three frames. On each occasion, however, the Owls didn't get the runner to third before there were two outs in the inning and UCI was able to get the final out via strikeout. The Anteaters hung on for the 2-1 final and claimed the first two games of the three-game weekend series. Rice also had a runner in scoring position in the top of the sixth when the score was tied 1-1, but the Anteaters avoided trouble in that inning as well. For the contest the Owls were a combined 0-for-9 when batting with runners in scoring position.
Records: Rice is now 0-5 for the season while UCI improved to 3-3 overall. In each of the three previous 0-4 starts in 1964, 1977 and 2000 the Owls were able to get that year's first win in game five.
Quality Mound Work: Three pitchers saw action for Rice. Sophomore Blake Brogdon pitched at least 5.0 innings for the second consecutive start while posting a new career-high of eight strikeouts. True freshman Cristian Cienfuegos fired 2.0 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Graduate transfer Andrew Kane struck out two of the four batters he faced in a scoreless frame. The combined 14 strikeouts by Owl hurlers was a new season high, zooming past the previous season high of nine Ks set against UCI in the Friday series-opener.
Two Owls With Two Hits: The Rice tandem of Braden Comeaux and Austin Bulman both paced the team with two hits each. The Owls also had two players with two hits in both of the first two games of the season against Texas.
MIsc.: There were more than a few individual plays that were worthy of a notation in the scorebook. With a runner on base in the bottom of the second, newcomer Brayden Combs blasted a deep fly to right that UCI was able to rundown and catch on the warning track. In the bottom of the fourth, junior shortstop Trei Cruz made a sensational stop, scoop, pivot and rocket throw to first base to get the final out in an inning where UCI had already scored one run and was looking for more. The Owls were able to score a run in the top of the fifth without a base hit thanks to a walk and hit batsman. In the top of the seventh, Cade Edwards battled to force an 11-pitch at bat before being retired. Rather than hanging his head or letting that outcome get the better of him, Edwards bounced back to get a base hit in his next at bat in the top of the ninth.
Next Up: The finale of the three-game weekend road series is set for Sunday at 3 pm Central Time (1 pm Pacific). Rice head coach Matt Bragga has named junior right-hander Drake Greenwood as the Owls' starting pitcher. The Blue & Gray conclude the current road swing on Wednesday (Feb. 26) at longtime rival Texas State.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ibarra (1-0)
L: Brogdon, Blake (0-2)
S: Vergara (2)
Batting:
2B: Comeaux, Braden 1
RBI: Comeaux, Braden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Combs, Brayden 1
HBP: Combs, Brayden 1 ; Dunlap, Justin 1
Batting:
2B: Kasper 1 ; Damla 1
RBI: Damla 1 ; Peabody 1
SH: Antone 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kasper 1 ; Damla 1
SB: Palmer, J. 1 ; Peabody 1
CS: Palmer, J. 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
p
/ BaseballInf.
/ Baseball
Inf.
/ Baseball
Inf.
/ Baseballif
/ Baseballif
/ Baseball
p
/ Baseball
p
/ BaseballWBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02