Arnett Leads Rice over Purdue

Wednesday, February 18

Houston, Texas

6:35 pm

Rice University

3-2

Purdue

2-2

PURDUE

Rice

Photo by: Karen Warren

2/18/2026 11:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Owls close homestand 3-2

By: by Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)

Houston-Jeremiah Arnett worked into the seventh inning for the first time in his career, and his Rice teammates bounced back from a shutout the night before to pound out 13 hits, including a career-high three by Cole Green, to take a 5-2 win over Purdue at Reckling Park on Wednesday night.

How it Happened: Arnett and Boilermaker starter Austin Klug traded scoreless innings through the first third of the game, each allowing one hit. Purdue took advantage of some wildness by Arnett in the third, loading the bases with two out on a single and a pair of hit batters, but Arnett ended the threat on his next pitch with a ground ball to end the frame. He worked around a leadoff single in the fourth, and the Green wasted no time snapping the Owls' streak of 12 scoreless innings by leading off the bottom of the third with a solo home run. After a shutdown frame in the fifth by Arnett to take him deeper into a game than at any point in his career, Colin Robson gave the Owls some breathing room with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. The Owls pushed the lead to 5-0 in the sixth, but Purdue broke through in the top of the seventh to score two runs. Arnett was relieved by freshman Ty Thames in the sixth with one out and two runners aboard, and the Boilermakers scored once on a passed ball and a second run on a single. But with the tying run at the plate, Thames recorded his first career strikeout and a groundout to first to end the threat. He retired the next five in order and closed out his first career save with a fly ball to center.

Next Up: Rice will continue its run of Boad series aig Ten games this weekend, playing its first-ever rgainst USC. Game times are 8:05 on Friday and Saturday and 2:05 on Sunday. The Owls return to Reckling next Tuesday to host HCU at 6:35.

NOTES

Rice improved to 3-2 on the season, 5-1 all-time vs. Purdue, and 46-23 against the current members of the Big Ten.
The three wins in February match the most for Rice in the opening month of the season since going 7-5 in February of 2015.
Arnett's career-high 6-1 innings are the most by a Rice starter in a midweek game since Roel Garcia went 6.1 innings in a 7-3 win over TCU at Reckling Park on March 13, 2018.
Arnett has posted decisions in three consecutive appearances at Reckling Park dating back to last season, taking the loss with Wichita State last season and winning in relief in the second game of the doubleheader with Northwestern on 2/13.
Green (.444, 8x18) has hit in each of the first five games of the year, a career-best hitting streak.
JC Davis doubled twice in three at-bats to raise his average to .529.