Rice baseball swept Old Dominion over the weekend and will look to earn their longest winning streak of the season on Tuesday vs Sam Houston.
Winners of three straight, Rice baseball has tied their season-long mark of consecutive victories which they achieved against Baylor, TCU and Houston in early March. A win over Sam Houston on Tuesday would snap a three game losing streak in midweek games. Rice has lost four of their last five midweek games with the first loss in that stretch coming against Sam Houston on March 6.
Rice jumped out to a 9-5 lead but was unable to hold off their opponent. Sam Houston scored the deciding run on a bases loaded walk in the ninth inning. Rice will look to even the series on Tuesday.
When and Where
- Tues., April 2 at 6:30 p.m. CT
- Watch: ESPN+ ($)
- Listen: Stretch Radio
Pitching matchups
Kel Bordwine should be on the bump to start the evening, but there’s no telling how long he’ll stay there. The sophomore has been the Owls’ primary midweek starter over the last several weeks, but the committee approach has won out through most games. Drake Greenwood and Garrett Gayle could also see some action.
Landon Ausley will lead a similar committee for Sam Houston. He’s started a midweek game in each of the last three weeks, setting a season-high of four innings against Houston last week. A parade of arms will follow after him. James Kuykendall and Matt Dillard have been two of the most reliable pieces out of the pen while Riley Gossett and Nick Mikolajchak own five of the Bearkats’ six saves.
Names to know from the plate
Jack Rogers led the way in the Owls’ last meeting against the Bearkats in early March. The left fielder led the team with a single, double and home run, scoring three runs and adding two RBI from the leadoff spot. Rogers sports a strong .299 average, but only ranks in the middle of the pack amongst Bearkat hitters.
Jordan Cannon and Colton Cowser have been special from the plate. Cowser leads the way with 12 extra base hits and 28 RBI. Cannon has had less pot, but his patience at the plate has resulted in a stunning .505 on base percentage. The Rice pitchers will have their hands full against this lineup once again.
ON DECK | vs FIU (Fri-Sun)
