Owls Rally Past Vaqueros, 6-4

Tuesday, March 31

Houston, Texas

6:35 pm

Rice University

18-12

UTRGV

14-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UTRGV	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	4	7	3
Rice	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	X	6	9	0

Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics

3/31/2026 10:27:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Move six games over .500 for the first time since 2016

By: Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)

Houston- Paul Smith drove in three runs, including the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh, to lead Rice to a 6-4 win over UTRGV at Reckling Park on Tuesday night and gain a sweep of the two-game season series.

How it Happened: Smith gave the Owls the early lead with a two-run single in the first inning, scoring Colin Robson and JC Davis. The Owls' lead grew to 4-0 after two innings as Cole Green doubled home Mason Ashlock and then scored on a triple by Robson. Starter Ty Baker worked out of potential trouble in the first and then cruised through his next two innings before battling out of a second jam in the fourth. A pair of walks and a groundout put runners at second and third with two away, but Baker rallied to end the threat with his fifth and final strikeout in his second career start. Rice had chances to pad the lead over the next three innings, placing runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, and fifth, but the Vaqueros stayed within striking range and drew even with four runs in the seventh. The Owls responded in their half of the seventh as Robson led off with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball, and Smith brought him home with a groundout to first. Kutter Gage Webb added some breathing room in the eighth, scoring on a balk, and Jeremiah Arnett closed the game out in the ninth, thanks to a diving stop by Davis of a ground ball, which he turned into a game-ending double play.

Next Up: Rice hosts I-10 rival and defending American Conference champion UTSA in a three-game series moved up one day to accommodate the Easter holiday. The series opens with a pair of 6:35 games on Thursday and Friday, followed by a 1:05 finale on Saturday.

Notes

The Owls improved to 18-12 on the season, 10-4 at home, 2-2 on Tuesdays, and 31-30-1 vs. UTRGV.
Rice has now surpassed its win total from 2025 (17-41) in just 30 games and moved to six games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.
They are 10-4 at home this season, one shy of last year's home win total in 29 games (11-18).
Rice is 18-12 at home under David Pierce after going a combined 70-108 at home since 2019.
The Owls reached 18 wins in the fewest number of games (30) since they were 18-10 in 2016.
Rice moved to 9-1 when scoring in the first inning this season.
Baker allowed just one hit and walked three while working a career-best four innings and fanning a career-high five.
Smith now has six multi-RBI games this year, matching Webb for the team lead.