Rice Edges FAU To Take Season Series
5/11/2024 10:18:00 PM | Baseball
First Series Win over FAU since 2015, fourth series win this year for Rice.
Reckling Park: Tucker Alch picked up his first career win at Rice on Senior Day as he combined with two relievers to lead Rice to 5-4 win and clinch the series with Florida Atlantic on Saturday night.
The Details: Alch joined eight other Owls who were presented framed jerseys during Senior Day ceremonies shortly after Rice saw a rally fall short in a 6-5 loss in the first game of the day and then went to the bullpen to complete his warmup routine before making his 12th start of the year. After retiring FAU in order in the top of the first for the first time in the series, Rice scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to stake Alch to a 2-0 lead. Jacob Devenny led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on Ben Dukes sac bunt which was mishandled by FAU to allow Dukes to reach first. Treyton Rank followed with another bunt to advance the runners and Devenny came around to score and Dukes to third on a throwing error by FAU starter Brandon Smith. Jack Riedel followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Dukes. FAU struck back with a run in the top of the second on a two-out single, but Alch held FAU scoreless into the sixth, despite having the leadoff man reach in three consecutive innings. Rice opened up its largest lead of the weekend by scoring three times in the sixth thanks to an RBI single by Riedel, an Eric Correa hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, and a bases-loaded walk by Manny Garza. The cushion was short-lived as FAU scored twice in the seventh and one in the eighth, but Garrett Stratton worked the final 2.1 innings to earn his second save of the year, combining with Garza on a strikeout and caught stealing at third to end the game.
Up Next: Rice returns to action on Tuesday for the final home game of 2024, a special 11:30 am start against Texas Southern when the Owls will host their first Grand Slam day. They wrap up the 2024 AAC regular season Thursday through Saturday in Greenville, North Carolina when they take on East Carolina, with a berth in the AAC Championship on the line.
Notes:
The Details: Alch joined eight other Owls who were presented framed jerseys during Senior Day ceremonies shortly after Rice saw a rally fall short in a 6-5 loss in the first game of the day and then went to the bullpen to complete his warmup routine before making his 12th start of the year. After retiring FAU in order in the top of the first for the first time in the series, Rice scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to stake Alch to a 2-0 lead. Jacob Devenny led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on Ben Dukes sac bunt which was mishandled by FAU to allow Dukes to reach first. Treyton Rank followed with another bunt to advance the runners and Devenny came around to score and Dukes to third on a throwing error by FAU starter Brandon Smith. Jack Riedel followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Dukes. FAU struck back with a run in the top of the second on a two-out single, but Alch held FAU scoreless into the sixth, despite having the leadoff man reach in three consecutive innings. Rice opened up its largest lead of the weekend by scoring three times in the sixth thanks to an RBI single by Riedel, an Eric Correa hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, and a bases-loaded walk by Manny Garza. The cushion was short-lived as FAU scored twice in the seventh and one in the eighth, but Garrett Stratton worked the final 2.1 innings to earn his second save of the year, combining with Garza on a strikeout and caught stealing at third to end the game.
Up Next: Rice returns to action on Tuesday for the final home game of 2024, a special 11:30 am start against Texas Southern when the Owls will host their first Grand Slam day. They wrap up the 2024 AAC regular season Thursday through Saturday in Greenville, North Carolina when they take on East Carolina, with a berth in the AAC Championship on the line.
Notes:
- Rice improved 21-31 and 11-13 in the AAC.
- Rice won the season series with FAU for the first time since 2015.
- The series win was the fourth for Rice in eight AAC series this year with a final series at East Carolina next week.
- Rice saw its streak of five games with a home run come to an end.
- The win was 13th game in the last 17 at Reckling to be decided by two runs or less and the ninth by one run. Rice is 7-4 in games decided by two or less after opening the season 2-10 and has won four of the last six one-run games at home.
- Alch matched his season high by working 6.1 innings and allowed just one run to lower his season ERA to 2.72 and his ERA inside the conference to 3.03.
- Pierce Gallo finished the doubleheader 4x8 and was 6x12 in the series with a pair of homers and six RBI… He has driven in 19 runs in the last 20 games after having only seven RBI in his first 26.
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