Rice University
8-29, 0
USF
20-12, 0
Offensive Explosion Evens Series
4/12/2025 5:25:00 PM | Baseball
Rubber game set for 1 p.m. Sunday
How it Happened: Rice starter Tucker Alch set the tone early, needing just five pitches to set down the Bulls in the first and needed only 34 to get through four innings while his Rice teammates staked him to a 4-0 lead. Landon West scored the game's first run, coming home on a ground out by Hiram Bocachica Jr. in the second inning and he added the second run coming in on an RBI ground out by Jacob Devenny in the fourth. Bocachica then doubled the lead to 4-0 by hitting his third home run of the season, driving in Treyton Rank, who had doubled. USF scored an unearned run off Alch in the fourth. He hit consecutive batters to open the inning and, after a strikeout, was lifted for Davion Hickson, who was making his first relief appearance of the year. USF scored its first run on an error after a stolen base on a strikeout, but Hickson ended the threat of any further damage with a fly ball to end the inning. The score remained 4-1 until the Owls exploded for a season-high seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a two-run single by Aric Anderson after USF elected to walk Bocachica intentionally to load the bases and a two-run double by Blaine Brown. USF scored twice in the top of the seventh to temporarily avoid the game coming to an end, but Brown closed out the day by slamming a grand slam home run in the bottom of the seventh. By virtue of the game going seven innings, Alch picked up the win to improve to 3-2 while Hickson earned his first save.
Up Next: The teams meet in the rubber game of the series on Sunday, with the first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Notes
- Rice improved to 5-1 in the series vs. USF, including a 2-1 record at Reckling Park.
- The 15 runs were the most for the Owls in AAC play, surpassing the 13 they scored last year at USF.
- Each of the five games between the schools as members of the AAC has seen the winning team score in double figures, with Rice winning four of five.
- The two home runs for the Owls extended their home run streak to five games and gave them eight in the last three contests.
- They have homered in four of their last five AAC games and have at least one homer in six of their last eight in conference play.
- Brown's walk-off grand slam was the first by an Owl since Craig Manuel vs. East Carolina (10th inn.) (Apr. 21, 2012)
- Brown drove in a career-high six runs, and his homer was his second in the last three games.
- It was the first grand slam by an Owl since Pierce Gallo vs. FAU on 5/11/2024.
- His six RBI were the most by an Owl since Justin Collins had six vs. Charlotte on 4/12/19.
- Bocachica's home run was his second in the last three games and his three RBI matched his career high (third time this season, second time in the last three games).
- Rank was 3x4 and is hitting .571 in five career games vs. USF (12x21).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Alch, Tucker (3-2)
L: NEWTON, A. (0-1)
S: Hickson, Davion (1)
Batting:
RBI: QUIGLEY, A. 2
Base Running:
RUNS: MAYO, J. 1 ; BUFFINGTON,M 1 ; MOCK, D. 1
SB: MAYO, J. 1 ; TRIPPEL, L. 1 ; BUFFINGTON,M 1 ; MOCK, D. 1
HBP: PUCKETT, S. 1 ; MAYO, J. 1 ; TRIPPEL, L. 1
Batting:
2B: Brown , Blaine 1 ; Zito, Michael 1 ; Rank, Treyton 1 ; West, Graiden 1
HR: Brown , Blaine 1 ; Bocachica Jr., Hiram 1
RBI: Robson, Colin 1 ; Brown , Blaine 6 ; Zito, Michael 1 ; Devenny, Jacob 1 ; Bocachica Jr., Hiram 3 ; Anderson, Aric 2 ; West, Graiden 1
SH: Devenny, Jacob 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Robson, Colin 1 ; Brown , Blaine 2 ; West, Landon 2 ; Rank, Treyton 2 ; Devenny, Jacob 1 ; Bocachica Jr., Hiram 3 ; Anderson, Aric 2 ; West, Graiden 2
HBP: West, Landon 1 ; West, Graiden 1
