Rice University
13-16-1, 2-7-1
Louisiana Tech
22-7, 8-2
LA Tech Takes Two Saturday
4/10/2021 8:57:00 PM | Baseball
Series Finale Set For 1 PM Sunday
Saturday C-USA Twinbill
In the day's opening seven-inning game Rice fought back from a 2-0 deficit after LA Tech hit a pair of early solo home runs. The Owls answered by sending nine to the plate in the bottom of the third to surge in front. Cade Edwards tied the score with a two-run homer to left-center. After a Bulldog fielding error Austin Bulman and Connor Walsh drove in runs to put the Owls ahead 4-2. Rice stretched the margin to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a single by Walsh and two-run homer by Bradley Gneiting. Tech rallied for two in the top of the sixth and scored three in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. The Bulldogs held off the Owls in the bottom of the frame to claim the one-run win.
LA Tech led off the nightcap with solo homer in the top of the first and then exploded for a combined 11 runs in the next two innings. When Rice was able to get on the board in the fourth after a Walsh triple and sac fly, the Bulldogs answered with four in the top of the fifth. The Blue & Gray posted its second four-run inning of the day in the bottom of the fifth. The big blow was a three-run homer by Walsh for his fourth round-tripper of the year. Tech scored four more times on five hits in the top of the seventh. In the Rice half Cade Edwards blasted his team-leading eighth homer for a 20-6 final score.
Records
Rice is now 13-17-1 on the season and 2-8-1 in C-USA. LA Tech improved to 23-7 overall and 9-2 in league play.
Of Note
• LA Tech entered the game ranked No. 16 in the nation.
• Prior to LA Tech's winning the first three games of this weekend series, the Owls had defeated the Bulldogs five straight times dating back to 2018.
• In the first three games of the series Cade Edwards is 6-for-12 with two home runs and a double for a 1.083 slugging percentage.
• In 11 C-USA league games this spring Edwards is batting .375 with seven homers, a .975 slugging percentage, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored.
• Right-handed pitcher Jared Plank made his season debut in game two and pitched a scoreless inning.
• Two Owls are approaching the same career milestone in base hits. Bradley Gneiting has 197 hits and needs only three for 200 hits, while Comeaux now needs four (196).
Next Up
The C-USA weekend series concludes with a nine inning game Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Greg Martinez (3-0)
L: Garibay Jr., Guy (0-1)
S: Landon Tomkins (3)
Batting:
2B: Manny Garcia 1 ; Cole McConnell 1 ; Jorge Corona 1 ; Alex Ray 1
HR: Philip Matulia 1 ; Cole McConnell 1 ; Kyle Hasler 1
RBI: Manny Garcia 2 ; Philip Matulia 1 ; Cole McConnell 1 ; Jorge Corona 1 ; Kyle Hasler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Taylor Young 1 ; Hunter Wells 1 ; Parker Bates 1 ; Philip Matulia 1 ; Cole McConnell 2 ; Kyle Hasler 1
SB: Taylor Young 1
CS: Alex Ray 1
HBP: Taylor Young 1
PO: Kyle Hasler 1
Batting:
2B: Dunlap, Justin 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1
HR: Edwards, Cade 1 ; Gneiting, Bradley 1
RBI: Edwards, Cade 2 ; Bulman, Austin 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Gneiting, Bradley 2
SH: Garibay Jr., Guy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dunlap, Justin 1 ; Edwards, Cade 1 ; Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Garibay Jr., Guy 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Gneiting, Bradley 1
SB: Bulman, Austin 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1
HBP: Comeaux, Braden 1
