Rice University
12-10, 1-1
UTSA
9-8, 1-1
Owls Split Saturday Twinbill
3/27/2021 9:07:00 PM | Baseball
Sunday Series Finale vs. UTSA Set For 1 PM
HOUSTON — The Rice and UTSA baseball teams split a Conference USA doubleheader Saturday evening at Reckling Park. The Owls won the opener 10-8 and the Roadrunners claimed the nightcap 4-1.
With no shortage of drama, Rice rallied for six runs in the final inning to win the first game 10-8. The Owls held an early 3-0 lead after the first three innings, highlighted by Guy Garibay's team leading fifth home run of the season. UTSA battled back to take a 5-3 lead after five and then stretched the margin to 8-4 heading into the final frame (the bottom of the seventh as part of C-USA's new 7-inning doubleheader format). Garibay drew a one-out walk and Connor Walsh was hit by pitch to put two men on for Austin Bulman. Bulman followed with a shot that hit the pole in left field, clearing the bases with his second homer of the year.
The Blue & Gray had cut the lead to one, 8-7, but the team wasn't quite finished. Ben Dukes delivered a pinch hit and Hal Hughes laced a two-out single to left center. Rice had two men on again, this time for veteran Cade Edwards. Edwards launched the first pitch he saw over the wall in left for the game-winning homer and a 10-8 final.
There was little time to celebrate as it was soon time to play the day's second game. UTSA struck quickly for a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. The Roadrunners added another in the fourth to make it 3-0 before the Owls were able to get on the board. Edwards lined a one out single into center, hustled to second on a wild pitch and scored on Braden Comeaux's two out single up the middle. UTSA was able to add an insurance run in the top of the seventh, but this time there was not a repeat of the game one magic. The Roadrunners claimed a 4-1 win.
For The Record
Rice is now 12-11 on the season and 1-2 in conference action. UTSA is 10-8 overall and 2-1 in C-USA league play.
Of Note
• For the first three games of the weekend series the Owls are hitting a composite .286 (24-of-84) with five home runs.
• Edwards' home run was the ninth of his Rice career.
• Austin Bulman made the most of his game-one start by going 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and four RBI. It was Bulman's first start in two weeks (March 13 vs. Northern Illinois).
• Garibay notched his team leading sixth game with two or more RBI, and he has moved into a share of the team's RBI lead with 16.
• Graduate transfer Mitchell Holcomb started the day's second game and did a sensational job to save the Owls' bullpen with a complete game effort. The complete game was the program's first since Matt Canterino went the distance vs. FIU in 2019.
• True freshman Ben Dukes came off the bench to record his second successful pinch-hit in as many games.
• Rice head coach Matt Bragga announced Rice's probable starter for Sunday's series finale as LHP Brandon Deskins.
• All three games of the UTSA series have been seven innings. The last time for Rice to play one opponent in three different seven inning games in a season was vs. Sam Houston in 1995.
Series Finale 1 PM Sunday
The same teams close out the weekend series with a nine inning game on Sunday. Start time at Reckling Park is set for 1 pm.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gallant, Reed (2-1)
L: Hunter Mason (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Kyle Bergeron 1 ; Chase Keng 1
RBI: Nick Thornquist 1 ; Jonathan Tapia 2 ; Chase Keng 3 ; Shea Guitierrez 1
SF: Jonathan Tapia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Griffin Paxton 1 ; Kyle Bergeron 1 ; Nick Thornquist 2 ; Joshua Lamb 2 ; Jonathan Tapia 1 ; Chase Keng 1
SB: Nick Thornquist 1
CS: Shea Guitierrez 1
Batting:
2B: Walsh, Connor 1 ; Bulman, Austin 1 ; Hughes, Hal 1
3B: Walsh, Connor 1
HR: Edwards, Cade 1 ; Garibay Jr., Guy 1 ; Bulman, Austin 1
RBI: Edwards, Cade 3 ; Garibay Jr., Guy 2 ; Bulman, Austin 4 ; Becker, Nathan 1
SF: Bulman, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Edwards, Cade 1 ; Comeaux, Braden 2 ; Garibay Jr., Guy 2 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Bulman, Austin 2 ; Dukes, Ben 1 ; Hughes, Hal 1
HBP: Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1
