Rice Baseball released weeks of pent-up frustration on the USF Bulls, routing their hosts in three straight games for their first-ever AAC sweep.
FRIDAY | Rice 13 – USF 4
Parker Smith had to earn every bit of his 6.2 inning outing on Friday night, allowing eight hits and two walks as he battled and worked through trouble, keeping USF to single runs in the first, second and fourth innings, respectively. While Smith did what he could to keep his team in the mix, the bats slowly got warmed up and began to contribute on their own.
Last Time Out: Rice Baseball takes series from UAB
“After we went one round through everybody started to get a little bit better,” head coach Jose Cruz Jr. said. “We started to have better at bats.” Those at bats started with singular runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Treyton Rank opened the door wider with a three-run blast in the seventh before all doubts were erased with an emphatic five-run ninth to put the game out of reach.
SATURDAY | Rice 10 – USF 6
The Rice bats delivered a crooked number in the fourth inning on Saturday, culminating with a clutch two-out, two-RBI double from Rank to put the visitors in front 5-2.
With the Bulls on the ropes, JD McCracken picked up right where Smith left off, navigating through a potent USF lineup as best he could before being lifted in midway through the sixth inning after four runs had been charged to his ledger. That total didn’t grow thanks to Davion Hickson, who stranded two runners in McCracken’s final frame, getting the Owls back into the dugout with a chance to turn the tide.
USF would get back within two in the following innings until Rice broke things open with another four-run frame, this time in the eighth. Eric Correa, Tobias Motely and Rank delivered the RBI hits, putting Rice way in front and ensuring a series-clinching win.
SUNDAY | Rice 10 – USF 3
Seeking their first-ever AAC sweep, the Rice bats came ready to roll for the series finale. Pierce Galloe put Rice in front with an RBI double in the second before his teammates expanded that lead in the third, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Trey Duffield and a follow-up RBI double from Manny Garza to put Rice in front 6-0 early.
USF would get to Rice starter Tucker Alch in the fourth, putting three runs on the board, but that would be all for the hometown team. Jackson Blank and Garrett Stratton put up zeroes for the remainder of the game as the offense added two more runs apiece in the eighth and ninth to secure the sweep.