Rice University
22-35
#9 East Carolina
41-13
Eighth-Inning Rally Propels Pirates Past Rice
5/21/2024 5:07:00 PM | Baseball
Rice and UAB meet in elimination game at noon on Wednesday
Clearwater, FL: Rice saw its hopes for an upset win in its AAC Baseball Championship debut evaporate late as #9 East Carolina rallied to take a 12-4 decision on Tuesday afternoon at BayCare Park
Details: Rice starter J.D. McCracken, who had lost to the Pirates four days earlier in Greenville, was masterful over six innings as the Owls jumped out to a 4-0 lead. He allowed a pair of runners in the first with one out but coaxed a double play to end the inning and went on to work six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out four. Kyte McDonald, the only Owl with previous experience at BayCare Park after playing in the 2023 AAC Championship with Wichita State, opened Rice's time in the AAC Championship with a lead-off triple and then scored the Owls' first run on an infield single by Treyton Rank. His one-out double in the fifth gave the Owls runners and second and third and both came home on a safety squeeze by Ben Dukes and a throwing error. Max Johnson extended the Rice lead to 4-0 with a bases-loaded walk in the top of the eighth, but ECU sent 15 men to the plate in the bottom of the eighth to score 12 times and move on to a meeting with Wichita State in the winner's bracket on Thursday.
Up Next: Rice and UAB, which lost to Wichita State 8-2, will meet in an elimination game on Wednesday at noon.
Notes:
- In losing his previous three starts, McCracken had worked a combined seven innings with a 12.86 ERA with 10 hits, five walks and three hit batters and in his last start against the Pirates, he allowed a hit and four walks in one inning.
- Rank's first inning single gave him the Owls' first RBI in AAC postseason play to add to their first RBI in the AAC regular season (vs. Tulane on March 22).
- McDonald's triple was the first by an Owl in the postseason since Chase Sarchet hit one vs. Florida Atlantic (May 26, 2018).
- McDonald added a single and double to match his career high with three hits.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: WALLACE, Colby (1-0)
L: Hickson, Davion (3-2)
Batting:
2B: McDonald, Kyte 1 ; Becker, Nathan 1
3B: McDonald, Kyte 1
RBI: McDonald, Kyte 1 ; Dukes, Ben 1 ; Rank, Treyton 1
SH: Dukes, Ben 1 ; Riedel, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McDonald, Kyte 2 ; Gallo, Pierce 1 ; Johnson , Max 1
SB: McDonald, Kyte 1
Batting:
3B: JOHNSON, Ryley 1 ; BERINI, Joey 1
HR: STARLING, Jacob 1
RBI: JOHNSON, Ryley 3 ; CUNNINGHAM, C. 1 ; STARLING, Jacob 2 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; WILLIAMS, Dixon 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 1 ; BERINI, Joey 1
SH: BARRON, Walker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: JOHNSON, Ryley 2 ; CUNNINGHAM, C. 1 ; CLONCH, Cam 1 ; STARLING, Jacob 2 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; WILLIAMS, Dixon 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1 ; NOWAK, Luke 1 ; BERINI, Joey 2
HBP: JOHNSON, Ryley 1 ; MCCRYSTAL, R. 1
