Rice University
22-32, 11-14
East Carolina
38-13, 17-8
Rice Drops Opener at ECU
5/16/2024 9:43:00 PM | Baseball
Doubleheader on Friday closes out regular season
The Details: Facing Pirate ace Tyler Yesavage, Rice scratched out the game's first run as Nathan Becker, who reached on a one-out walk and moved to third on a single by Pierce Gallo, scored on a sacrifice fly by Manny Garza. Rice starter Parker Smith held the Pirates offense in check through three innings before they struck for four in the fourth. Trailing 5-1 in the seventh, the Owls cut the lead to three when Jacob Devenny brought in Gallo on a fielder's choice. Smith needed just 10 pitches to retire ECU in the bottom of the seventh, but the Pirates pushed the margin to 8-2 on a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth. Gallo and Garza walked to open the ninth and pinch hitter Kyte McDonald loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch, but the Owls' hopes for a rally fell short when a line drive by Tobias Motley was snagged and turned into a double play.
Up Next: The Owls and Pirates will close out the 2024 regular season on Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 1:30 (central)
Notes:
- Rice fell to 22-32, overall, 11-14 in the AAC and 10-4 against ECU in Greenville.
- Rice and Florida Atlantic, which lost to UTSA 14-1 on Thursday, are tied for seventh in the conference, each one game ahead of South Florida (10-15) and two ahead of Memphis (9-16) with two games remaining.
- By tiebreakers, the Owls' magic number vs. USF and Memphis is one and is two vs. FAU in the race to secure a berth in the AAC Championship that begins on Tuesday in Clearwater, Florida.
- Smith took the loss, but was credited with the first complete game of his career.
- Gallo was 2x3 with a walk and is hitting .611 (11x18) in his last five games.
- Eric Correa has hit in his last three and is hitting .545 (6x14) over his last seven games.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: YESAVAGE, Trey (11-1)
L: Smith, Parker (4-5)
S: NORBY, Ethan (2)
Batting:
RBI: Devenny, Jacob 1 ; Garza, Manny 1
SF: Garza, Manny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Becker, Nathan 1 ; Gallo, Pierce 1
SB: Gallo, Pierce 1
CS: Gallo, Pierce 1
HBP: Devenny, Jacob 1 ; McDonald, Kyte 1
Batting:
2B: MCCRYSTAL, R. 1 ; STARLING, Jacob 1 ; WILLIAMS, Dixon 1
HR: JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1
RBI: JENKINS-COWART, J. 3 ; WILLIAMS, Dixon 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 3 ; CARTER, Bristol 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MCCRYSTAL, R. 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 1 ; STARLING, Jacob 3 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; WILLIAMS, Dixon 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1
HBP: JOHNSON, Ryley 1 ; STARLING, Jacob 2 ; WILLIAMS, Dixon 1
