Rice University
17-36, 10-15
UTSA
40-11, 21-4
Owls Drop Opener in San Antonio
5/16/2025 12:13:00 AM | Baseball
Clinch berth in AAC Baseball championship thanks to loss by UAB
How it Happened: The Owls jumped on UTSA starter Zach Royse for three runs in the top of the first as Colin Robson and Blaine Brown to lead off the game and trotted home when Landon West slammed his fourth home run of the year. Paul Smith's solo homer in the second extended the lead to 4-0 over the AAC regular season champions. Rice starter Jackson Blank, who only learned he would take the mound earlier in the day when Davion Hickson was scratched, held the conference's top offense hitless over the first four inning and saw his teammates stretch the least to 7-0 in the top of the fourth on a three-run homer by Cole Green. Blank surrendered a solo homer with one out in the fifth, but after striking out the next hitter, UTSA put two on thanks to an error and a walk and then struck for six unearned runs off the Owls' bullpen before getting the inning's final out. UTSA took the lead with three runs in the sixth and added five in the seventh to close out the scoring.
Up Next: The Owls and Roadrunners will meet in the middle game of their series at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Notes
- With UAB's 12-9 loss at home to FAU, Rice clinched a berth in the AAC Baseball Championship presented by Regions, which begins on Tuesday in Clearwater, Florida.
- If Wichita State sweeps the final two games against Memphis, the Shockers will be the seventh seed and Rice the eighth. If Memphis wins one of the two games, Rice will be the seventh seed and the eighth seed will be the winner of the Memphis-Wichita State series.
- Rice fell to 30-22 all-time against UTSA and to 8-11 at Roadrunner Field after losing the last six,
- The Owls have homered in nine straight games (17 total), their longest streak since they homered in 15 consecutive games from April 23-May 22, 2010.
- Blank reached career highs in strikeouts (7) and innings (4.2).
- Robson's leadoff single in the first was the sixth time in the last 10 games he has reached base in the Owls' first at bat. He is 5x9 with a home run and a double, in addition to drawing a walk.
- Green has homered in three consecutive series and has driven in 11 runs in his last seven games.
- West added a double to his home run and had his third consecutive two-hit game and has driven in six in his last three games.
- Smith's home run was the third of his career, his second against UTSA. He hit is first career homer against the Roadrunners in 2023 at Reckling Park.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Simmons (1-0)
L: Ben-Shoshan, Jack (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Zito, Michael 1 ; West, Landon 1 ; Bocachica Jr., Hiram 1
HR: West, Landon 1 ; Smith , Paul 1 ; Green, Cole 1
RBI: West, Landon 3 ; Smith , Paul 1 ; Green, Cole 3
SH: Zito, Michael 1 ; Duffield, Trey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Robson, Colin 1 ; Brown , Blaine 1 ; West, Landon 1 ; Bocachica Jr., Hiram 1 ; Smith , Paul 2 ; Green, Cole 1
Batting:
2B: Lytle 1 ; Detlefsen 1 ; Miller 1 ; Gruell 1
HR: Miller 1
RBI: Lytle 1 ; Taussig 1 ; Stucky 3 ; McClure 1 ; Detlefsen 3 ; Miller 1 ; Gruell 2
SF: Stucky 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ballin 2 ; Lytle 3 ; Taussig 2 ; Stucky 1 ; McClure 1 ; Detlefsen 1 ; Miller 2 ; D. Diaz 1 ; Gruell 2
CS: Ballin 1
HBP: McClure 1
