Saturday, May 6
San Antonio, TX
2 PM
Rice University
17-29, 7-16
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10
UTSA
35-12, 18-4
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RICE
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UTSA
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Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Roadrunners Rally to Take Series
5/6/2023 9:07:00 PM | Baseball
Series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m.
San Antonio: Rice saw an early 6-1 lead slip away as UTSA roared back after a rain delay of nearly 2 ½ hours to take a 10-8 win on Saturday and clinch the weekend series.
The Details: Rice exploded for five quick runs in the first two innings before thunderstorms caused the game to pause in the top of the second. Jack Riedel and Aaron Smigelski each drilled home runs in the first inning as the Owls scored in the first for the fourth consecutive game. They came back in the second to add three additional runs before play was halted. Pierce Gallo singled to open the inning. He stole second and then scored on an error that allowed Drew Holderbach to reach first. Jacob Devenny reached via catcher's interference to put runners at first and second and Guy Garibay Jr.'s single off the first baseman's glove brought home Holderbach. Riedel then grounded out to first to bring in Devenny before the teams were pulled from the field because of lightning in the area. UTSA broke through with a run in their half of the second once play resumed, but Smigelski answered with his second homer of the game to give the Owls their second five-run lead. The Roadrunners closed the gap to 6-5 in the bottom of the fourth and then took the lead with three in the bottom of the sixth. Rice was held in check after Smigelski's homer until the eighth when they pounced on UTSA reliever Simon Miller in the eighth. With one out, Manny Garza doubled to right center and after a Gallo ground out, Holderbach blasted the Owls' fourth homer of the day, and the first Miller has allowed this season in 52 innings, to cut the lead to 9-8. After UTSA pushed the lead back to two at 10-8, Rice was able to put the tying run on base before Miller closed out the game.
Notes
- Rice is 5-9 in Saturday starts (including two doubleheaders)
- The Owls' two runs in the first inning marked the fourth consecutive game they have scored in the first inning. They have scored nine runs in the opening inning over the last four games after scoring just 13 in the first 41 games.
- The Owls' four homers matched their effort at Texas A&M for a season-high. They have hit 12 homers in five games vs. UTSA this season and 25 in 23 C-USA games.
- The last time Rice hit at least four home runs in multiple games in a season was in 2017 when the Owls had two games with four long balls in addition to a seven-homer game at UAB.
- Smigelski's two-homer effort was his first this season and the fourth of his career (all vs. C-USA opponents), the third by an Owl this season, and the second in the last five games. Connor Walsh hit a pair vs. UTRGV on 3/7 and Riedel slammed two vs. DBU on 4/29. The Owls also had three different players hit two homers in a game last year (Austin Bulman, Smigelski, and Walsh). They last had more than three players with a two-homer game in 2017 (Tristan Gray; Ford Proctor; Dayne Wunderlich; Andrew Dunlap).
- Redel's first-inning home run extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games. He is hitting .435 (20x46) during his streak. He has hit three homers in his last four C-USA games.
- Smigelski's first-inning homer extended his hitting streak to nine games, matching his career-best set last season.
Up Next: Rice and UTSA wrap up the six-game season series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Owls return home to Reckling on Tuesday to host Incarnate Word and Houston on Wednesday, then travel next weekend to close out the C-USA road schedule. They conclude the 2023 home schedule the following week against Prairie View (May 16) and FIU (May 18-20).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: GARZA, Daniel (5-1)
L: Hamilton, Tyler (1-3)
S: MILLER, Simon (11)
Batting:
2B: Garza, Manny 1
HR: Riedel, Jack 1 ; Smigelski, Aaron 2 ; Holderbach, Drew 1
RBI: Garibay Jr., Guy 1 ; Riedel, Jack 2 ; Smigelski, Aaron 2 ; Holderbach, Drew 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Riedel, Jack 1 ; Smigelski, Aaron 2 ; Garza, Manny 1 ; Gallo, Pierce 1 ; Holderbach, Drew 2 ; Devenny, Jacob 1
SB: Gallo, Pierce 1
HBP: Devenny, Jacob 1
Batting:
2B: VALDEZ, Antonio 1
3B: VALDEZ, Antonio 1
HR: KILLEEN, Josh 1 ; HILL, Caleb 1
RBI: KILLEEN, Josh 2 ; HILL, Caleb 3 ; VALDEZ, Antonio 1 ; DIAZ, Sammy 1 ; BARRY, Leyton 1 ; POSTON, Garrett 1
SF: BARRY, Leyton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: KILLEEN, Josh 1 ; HILL, Caleb 1 ; KING, Matt 2 ; VALDEZ, Antonio 3 ; DIAZ, Sammy 1 ; BARRY, Leyton 1 ; POSTON, Garrett 1
SB: KING, Matt 1 ; BARRY, Leyton 1
HBP: SMITH, Taylor 1 ; HILL, Caleb 1 ; VALDEZ, Antonio 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
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2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
Inf.
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INF
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Inf./OF
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