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Rice Baseball 2022: Owls swept by explosive ULL offense

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For the second time in as many nights, Rice Baseball fell to Louisiana at home, failing to suppress the red-hot Ragin’ Cajun offense.

For the second time in as many series, Rice baseball has been swept. The most recent team to break out the brooms against the Owls is Louisiana, who took a Tuesday night contest by the final score of 7-3 before prevailing on Wednesday night, 16-6. Louisiana has now won seven straight against Rice, although Rice leads the all-time series 17-15.

Last Time Out : Rice baseball drops Tuesday night game vs Louisiana

On the field, a similar trend emerged in Wednesday night’s loss, Rice fell behind early then let the game get away from them in the middle innings. Initially leading 1-0 thanks to an RBI double from Austin Bulman, Rice ceded their advantage to the visitors in the second inning, allowing the go-ahead run to score on a wild pitch.

Rice would respond, tying the game at 3-3 thanks to a pair of two-out RBI hits from Jack Riedel and Johnny Hoyle. It would be the last meaningful bit of opportune hitting for the Owls for the remainder of the contest, though. By the time Rice scored next — three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning — the Owls were trailing 15-6.

On the mound, Parker Smith was a bit erratic, but servicable. He was saddled with the loss after pitching 3.1 innings, allowing four earned runs, three walks and two wild pitches. Alex DeLeon, Brandon Deskins and Mark Perkins — all players who had been productive in recent games — were hit around in relief. There was nothing the Owls could do to calm the Louisiana bats.

What it means | Running out of buttons to push

The Rice lineup hasn’t been scoring at a tremendous clip, but they have been making contact at a decent rate. Their Achille’s heal has been clutch hitting, being out-hit with runners in scoring position again on Wednesday night (.500 to .364). But further fielding miscues and pitching woes have helped to render whatever effectiveness the bats have had moot.

Rice pitching has allowed seven runs in six consecutive games. They’ve allowed 13 or more runs in three of those contests. It hasn’t really mattered who was on the mound at any given moment, the collective result has been wanting. At the beginning of the season, head coach Jose Cruz Jr. spoke of finding the select few he could trust to get outs and pitch at a high level. The consistency just hasn’t been there.

At this point, the pitching staff is what the pitching staff is going to be this year. Riding the hot hand as long as they can will be paramount in these last few games as well as showcasing the players they think could be most useful down the road. Wins and losses are losing value. Experience in live-game situations could serve as invaluable building blocks for that future.

ON DECK | vs MTSU (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball 2022: Owls lose late inning lead, fall to Louisiana

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Rice Baseball was competitive early, but couldn’t hold on in their first of two midweek games against Louisiana on Tuesday night.

Rice baseball entered their first of two midweek games against Louisiana looking for some positive vibes and fresh momentum after four consecutive losses. Things didn’t get off to a good start as the Owls committed an error on the first play of the game, eventually learned to a pair of runs for the visiting Ragin’ Cajuns.

Although it was an inauspicious start, Rice bounced back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning and would go on to take the lead in the third thanks to RBI hits from Nathan Becker and Manny Garza. Rather than fold, Rice quickly responded and took the lead.

Last Time Out : Rice baseball swept by Charlotte in pivotal CUSA series

That score would hold for the next several innings until Louisiana broke through. With the scored tied in the seventh, the Owls would call upon closer Matthew Linskey, who allowed the go-ahead single — the run charged to Christian Cienfuegos. Linskey would be charged with three runs of his own in the eighth, an uncharacteristically ineffective performance for one of the most consistent players on the roster.

Trailing 7-3, Rice was unable to answer. Louisiana would hold Rice off the scoreboard for the final six innings.

What it means | More missed opportunities

Louisiana outhit Rice 15-8, but the run differential was slimmer, just four. At least in part, that difference can be traced back to how well each team hit in critical run scoring opportunities. Louisiana hit .364 with two outs, .435 with runners on base and .400 with runners in scoring position.

Altogether they hit .385 for the duration of the game, meaning the Ragin’ Cajuns were more productive in the key moments than they were on average throughout the course of the game.

Rice didn’t fair nearly as well in those metrics. The Owls hit .235 overall for the game, .222 with two outs, .167 with runners on and .214 with runners in scoring position. Collectively, Rice was better on average when there was no pressure to drive anyone in.

Rice wasn’t “clutch” on Tuesday. Louisiana was. Louisiana won. Converting scoring opportunities has been a challenge for the Owls all season. Tuesday served as a reminder the nagging problem hasn’t been cleaned up yet as the season begins to wind down.

ON DECK | vs Louisiana (Wed),  vs MTSU (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball sputters against surging Charlotte, dropping series 3-0

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Rice Baseball came out flat against the Charlotte 49ers and watched their C-USA Tournament hopes fade in a three-game sweep.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses the series 3-0

It was a rough weekend on the road for Rice baseball who couldn’t put together a complete game when they needed it most, falling to deficiencies on the mound, at the plate and in the field in a pivotal series for their postseason hopes. The sweep is the Owls’ fourth of conference play. Rice is now 13-34 overall and 6-18 in conference play. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Two skunks

Rice knew they couldn’t afford to be swept this weekend if there was any hope of catching Charlotte in the race for one of the final remaining spots in the Conference USA Tournament. With that urgency as inspiration, the Owls then proceeded to trot out onto the diamond and put up zero runs in two of the three games of the series.

The twin skunks represented the fifth and sixth time this season the Owls had been held off the scoreboard entirely in a game. Texas, Baylor, Harvard and Southern Miss all hung a zip on Rice this season. Charlotte had two, and the 49ers’ 5.77 team ERA in conference after posting two shutouts is still in the bottom half of the league.

Last Time Out: Rice baseball drops Silver Glove series with UH loss

Rice tallied a combined five hits in games one and three together, saving the bulk of their productive contact for the Saturday in which they outhit Charlotte 17-15 but lost 14-13. Even on their best day at the plate, Charlotte was better, a subtle, but recurring theme in this series.

2. Spots earned

Pierce Gallo wasn’t a surefire lock to be in the starting lineup heading into the season. When injuries opened up playing time for him he grabbed hold of the opportunity and never let go. As good as Gallo has been in the field, his bat has brought timely hits as well. On a weekend when hits were hard to come by, Gallo has four base knocks (including three doubles) and two RBI.

In addition to Gallo, Aaron Smigelski and Nathan Becker both rank top five among all Owls in slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

While much will be made of where this team has collectively fallen short of expectations heading into the season, the emergence of those underclassmen with multiple years of eligibility remaining has been a salve to the hard times and a reminder that the future has plenty of bright spots.

3. Hoping for a miracle

In a game filled with superstitions, Rice needs the baseball equivalent of a hail mary over the course of the next few weeks. The Owls enter the final six games of Conference USA play exactly give games behind of UAB for the final spot in the conference tournament.

UAB took two of three from the Owls at Reckling earlier this season, giving them the tiebreaker should both squads end up deadlocked in their final records.

Rice can (mathematically) make the tournament if they sweep their final two series (vs MTSU, at FIU) and UAB is swept by FIU at home and UTSA on the road. Needless to say, the outlook is grim.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Charlotte 13 – Rice 0

Either David Shaw wasn’t nearly as crisp as he was the weekend prior or the Charlotte bats were on the warpath. Regardless of the cause, Shaw’s exit without recording an out in the fourth inning gave way to a spiraling effect for the rest of the team.

Trailing 5-0, Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr. rolled with dice with powerful, yet erratic, Miach Davis. He walked the bases full, handing Reid Gallant a powderkeg which exploded and turned into a seven-run inning for Charlotte. At that point, Rice found themselves in a 13-0 hole and there wasn’t anything they were going to be able to do on four hits to get out of it.

SATURDAY | Charlotte 14 – Rice 13

Charlotte struck with a big crooked number even earlier on Saturday morning, hanging six runs on Rice starter Alex DeLeon in the second inning. They’d add three more runs in the fourth and five runs in the fifth. Facing a daunting 14-4 deficit at that point, Rice could have very well hung it up. But with the fate of the series still at stake, the bats answered.

Rice got five runs back in the sixth inning with two RBI hits in the inning coming from Connor Walsh and Pierce Gallo. Now trailing 14-9, Rice would edge ever so closer on a home run from Walsh in the subsequent inning. 14-10. Had it not been for the masterful work of Mark Perkins on the mound, the comeback might never have gotten that close. He went 3 innings, allowing one earned run.

Then came the ninth where Walsh cleared the bases with a three-run home run to make the score 14-13, in favor of Charlotte. The dreams of a rally crescendoed right up until a double-play ball with the tying run on third base snuffed out the dream and ended the game with a heartwrenching thud.

SUNDAY | Charlotte 9 – Rice 0

The wind seemed out of the Owls’ sails from the start in the series finale. Brandon Deskins, Cooper Chandler and Roel Garcia combined to hand out nine walks, nine hits and nine runs while the lineup produced exactly one hit in support: a double from Gallo.  Even with the tepid output from Rice, the game still dragged on for three hours and twelve minutes.

Rice batters did manage to walk four times, but only managed to push a base runner to second base on two occasions. That wasn’t going to get it done against a Charlotte offense that would total 36 runs in the three-game sweep.

ON DECK | vs Louisiana (Tues, Wed),  vs MTSU (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball: 2022 MLB Owls update – May 4

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The 2022 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angles

Rendon has been up and down this season, saving his biggest hit for a big moment. On Wednesday night he homered off Red Sox reliever Austin Davis to tie the game. The Angels would go on to win. That was his third extra base hit of the week after mashing two doubles on Apr 29 against the White Sox.

Through May 4 Rendon is hitting .231 with eight extra-base hits, 14 walks and 17 strikeouts. His OPS is .758 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

J.T. Chargois – Tampa Bay Rays

Chargois has yet to make a second appearance this season following his placement on the injured list in April.

Through May 4, Chargois has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.000 WHIP. He’s averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey made three appearances this week, lowering his ERA by nearly a point and a half with two scoreless one-inning appearances sandwiching a one-run outing in between. Duffey earned one hold in the process with his team notching victories in all three games.

Through May 4, Duffey has a 6.00 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge appears in three games this week, working a total of 2.1 innings without allowing a run. He registered more strikeouts over that stint (three) than hits allowed (two). Lutege has not been charged with a run in nine of 11 appearances so far this season.

Through May 4, Luetge has a 4.15 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP. He’s averaging 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Glenn Otto – Texas Rangers

Otto was bumped back from his Tuesday start this week with the return of Jon Gray from the injured list. Through two starts he’s 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA. He’s struck out 10 batters in 9.1 innings, a strong start to his 2022 season. It remains to be seen if he’ll be used in the bullpen for the time being or make a return back to the Rangers’ starting rotation soon.

Through May 4, Otto has a 2.89 ERA with a 09.64 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball 2022: Early miscues doom Owls at UH

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Rice Baseball was unable to overcome a costly early error, dropping the game and the Silver Glove Series to Houston on Wednesday night.

Winners of their last two midweek games, Rice baseball saw that streak come to an end on Wednesday night against the Houston Cougars. After a scoreless first inning, both teams traded runs in the second. The modest start continued into the third, but after Owls’ reliever Garret Zaskoda collected two quick outs, a fateful error extended the inning.

Last Time Out : Rice baseball battles back to take two of three vs WKU

Instead of heading back to the dugout in a tied, 1-1 game, things began to unravel. The next three Houston batters reached base, including a two-run double followed by a two-run home run. Instead of a close game, Rice found themselves trailing 5-1 after three innings.

Having dropped the first game of the series in March, the Silver Glove was at stake and Rice was already in a sizable hole.

Houston would extend their lead with a run in the fourth. Rice got that one back in the sixth but would go on to leave eight runners on base throughout the course of the game. The big hit that Houston collected would go on to evade Rice. The Cougars had five two-out RBI. Rice had one. That alone would prove to be the difference on Wednesday night.

What it means | Focus back on C-USA

For better or worse, Rice baseball can now fully turn its attention to conference play. The Silver Glove was the last non-conference achievement the Owls had to look toward this season, two-midweek games against Louisiana notwithstanding.  If Rice wants to make the Conference USA Baseball Tournament, they have to win and win a lot in their final nine conference games.

What does that look like, from a practical standpoint, head coach Jose Cruz Jr. was crystal clear regarding just how sizable the task at hand will be. “We’re basically gonna have to win every series to even have a chance,” he said. “We need at least need six wins. If we can get a seventh that’d be even better.”

Every team talks about turning the page and moving on to the next game. This time, more than ever, Rice needs to be locked in and ready to go when they make the trip to Charlotte this weekend.

ON DECK | at Charlotte

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