Rice baseball got off to a quick start, but needed a late rally to get past UTRGV to sweep the season series against the Vaqueros.
It was another hot start for Rice baseball in their second and final midweek game of the season against UTRGV. Two weeks removed from a 7-3 Owls’ win over the Vaqueros, Rice got things going with a two-run single in the first from Paul Smith. They doubled their lead an inning later on extra base hits from Cole Green and Colin Robson.
A 4-0 advantage lent a nice cushion to the Rice pitching staff, which twirled another strong outing. Ty Baker got things started with four scoreless frames, allowing just one hit with five strikeouts. He handed the ball to Carson Kuhn, who followed with two blank innings of his own before running into some trouble in the seventh.
Last Weekend: Rice Baseball Rallies to Take Series from FAU
Kuhn, Marco Fuentes and Ethan Atchley labored through a dicey inning, allowing UTRGV to tie things up at four runs apiece. The Rice bats responded quickly, though, engineering a go-ahead run when Colin Robson walked and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball and coming home on a groundout to the right side.
Ahead by one, Jeremiah Arnett procured a four-pitch eighth inning before the lineup got him an insurance run on a balk in the bottom of that frame. Arnett then returned for the final three outs, earning his first save of the season.
What it means | Fast Start
Of all the steps forward Rice baseball has made this season, their handling of the opening innings of games has been perhaps the most impressive. On Tuesday, that meant four runs before UTRGV got a runner to third base. That quick outburst wouldn’t win them the game outright, but it certainly set them up for success.
More: 2026 Rice Baseball Mid-Season State of the Program
Pitchers are better when they’re not forced to be perfect, able to work aggressively and attack batters. Ty Baker delivered perhaps his best showing as a Rice Owl. And even if the bullpen faltered — as is prone to happen when reaching outside the high-leverage relievers in a midweek game — the early burst allowed Rice to overcome the setback.
With the win, Rice baseball improves to 9-1 this season when scoring first. They’ll need all that extra pop they can find this coming weekend when they host UTSA.