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Austin Bulman slam saves Rice Baseball from series sweep vs Lamar

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After a rocky start, Rice Baseball was able to salvage one game against Lamar, dropping the series but finishing things on a high note.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball drops series 1-2

It took three tries, but Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr. earned his first home victory on Sunday afternoon in thrilling come-from-behind fashion thanks to the bat of Austin Bulman. His grand slam salvaged what could have been the Owls’ second consecutive weekend of winless play, averting what Cruz Jr. himself dubbed “disaster” and replacing it with a momentum-building win.

“Our team is starting to build, starting to come together in many ways,” Cruz Jr. said. “We still have a ways to go.”

Fielding will undoubtedly be on the to-do list — Rice committed four errors to Lamar’s two — as will be situational hitting. There was good and bad on the mound and much like the rest of the roster, it has tweaks that need to be made too. But first, here’s are three important takeaways from the weekend.

1. The lineup writes itself

In the lead-up to the regular season, Cruz Jr. said “the lineup writes itself.” Through seven games, that declaration is beginning to bear itself out.

At the plate, the top half of the lineup is more or less set with the return of Connor Walsh on Saturday. Walsh missed the first four games of the season with injuries but came back swinging, going 2-for-4 with a walk in his debut. Behind him, in some order, have been Bulman, Garibay, Aaron Smigelski and Drew Woodcox.

More: Jose Cruz Jr. hopes to bring modern edge to Rice baseball

Defensively, there has been some rotation between some of the infield positions and the designated hitter spot. Outside of the platoon at designated hitter, catcher has featured the most notable split with Justin Long and Manny Garza both fighting for playing time. The lineup isn’t set just yet, but it’s starting to feel pretty close. A few notable lines from the weekend:

  • Garibay: 5-for-15, 2 HR, 5 RBI
  • Bulman: 5-for-14, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
  • Smigelski: 5-for-13, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI

2. Arms you can trust

Navigating the Rice pitching staff has felt like running through a minefield in the early portions of this season. Outings have ranged from abysmal to fantastic, with almost no precursor to warn what might happen next. Starter Cooper Chandler was hit around on Friday night, but rough weather conditions and poor defense behind him did not help. Cruz Jr. said Chandler would “probably end up starting next Friday as well.”

On the positive side, Alex DeLeon was sharp in relief of Chandler going 3.1 innings and allowing just one earned run. Garret Zaskoda worked 2.1 innings on Saturday with three strikeouts and one run allowed. Reed Gallant punched out all three batters he faced in a rare 1-2-3 inning on Saturday. Cristian Cienfuegos, Mark Perkins and Brandon Deskins all provided quality outings on Sunday.

Cruz Jr. emphasized the command of his pitchers as one of the most important aspects of their success. “I think our pitching competed pretty good. We’re pounding the zone very well,” he said.

As for the starters, Roel Garcia looked sharper than his previous outing. He was charged with two runs in 4.1 innings. Thomas Burbank had his final line marred by a rough final inning, but more or less kept Rice in the game until things unraveled.

The real problem was the landmines in between. David Shaw, Caleb Matthews and Tom Vincent each allowed multiple runs while recording four outs or less. Many of the players that have struggled are young with more to learn as they progress at the collegiate level. Others aren’t. Regardless, finding the trusted list of who Cruz Jr. can turn to in key moments remains a top priority.

3. Smigeliski shines

It seemed destined to go down as an obscure fact with relatively little importance: the first run of the 2022 Rice Baseball season was scored by true freshman Aaron Smigelski. The newcomer entered as a pinch hitter in a 15-0 ballgame, singled and came around to score.

Cruz Jr. took note of the at bat, praising the newcomers’ approach, and gave him another chance the following day which turned into the same result, a hit. Smigelski entered the starting lineup for the Owls’ midweek game against HBU and has been a fixture in the starting nine from that point onward.

“It doesn’t faze him. The guy is what I call a flat-liner. He goes about his business like it’s just another day,” Cruz Jr. said. “He’s been a boost of energy for us.” Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but the Owls’ offensive numbers have been much better with Smigelski in the lineup. That’s not going to be changing anytime soon.

When asked about the offensive production as a whole, Smigelski’s name was the first one Cruz Jr. mentioned. “Smigelski was amazing all weekend,” he said, before continuing on to list Garibay, Bulman and Becker as well.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Lamar 12 – Rice 6

The series did not get off to an auspicious start for Rice baseball. Lamar loaded the bases with its first three batters of the game and struck with four runners in the first inning against Rice starter Cooper Chandler who labored through three innings of work. Rice would steal back two runs in the bottom of the frame but would leave runners in scoring position in two of the next three innings.

It wasn’t that Rice didn’t get their hits, they just couldn’t deliver once base runners were on. Rice hit .188 with RISP in scoring position and gave up 12 runs on the mound. It’s hard to win games like that.

SATURDAY | Lamar 8 – Rice 6 (11)

Saturday was a much more subdued affair for both sides in the early goings. Roel Garcia worked three scoreless innings for the Owls before leaving the game in the fifth with a 2-1 lead thanks to a home run by Aaron Smigelski. Lamar would tie things up that inning and take a 5-2 lead the following frame.

Both sides were quiet for a while after that before Rice broke through with a pair of clutch two-out, RBI hits in the bottom of the eighth. Smigelski drove in two with a single to left. Woodcox lined a ball into center, giving Rice a 6-5 lead. It wouldn’t last long. Lamar homered in the ninth to tie the score.

From there, the game moved on to extra innings. Lamar broke through with two runs in the 11th. Rice had their chance to equalize, but pinch hitters Benjamin Rosengard and Jack Ben-Shoshan struck out, stranding the tying runs on base.

SUNDAY | Rice 8 – Lamar 6

Thomas Burbank cruised through the first 4.2 innings against Lamar on Sunday before running into a barrage of extra-base hits. After retiring the first two batters he faced in the fifth, he allowed a walk, followed by a double and then two triples, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving Lamar a 5-1 advantage.

Garibay delivered the Owls’ first score on a solo shot in the fourth inning, his second long ball of the weekend. He helped moved the lineup along with a walk in the fifth, helping the home team scratch across their first crooked number of the weekend. Smigelski would be the hero, driving in two on an RBI single to left field to bring Rice back within striking distance, although they still trailed 5-4.

Lamar would tack on another, stacking the deck further against Rice baseball in the late innings. The Owls’ big chance would come in the eighth. With the bases loaded, Bulman took a 2-2 pitch and drove it well past the fence for a grand slam. Matthew Linskey came on for the save to give Rice the win.

ON DECK | Rice baseball vs Baylor (Wed)

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Rice Women’s Basketball rallies past Southern Miss for gritty road win

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Rice Women’s Basketball trailed for most of the game and did not shoot well at all but the Owls still found a way to take down Southern Miss.

Blisteringly fast starts have been the hallmark of Rice women’s basketball this season. Depth issues and inexperience have made those early leads tenuous at times, but winning the first quarter has never been a serious problem. That’s what made Saturday’s slow start in Hattiesburg so surprising.

Rice shot 14.3 percent from the floor in the first quarter and fell eight points behind Southern Miss 15-7, Trailing by more points than they’d managed to score, the Owls had no choice other than to chip away.

Bolstered by a powerful defensive effort, Rice began their comeback. Southern Miss made two field goals in the second quarter and attempted just seven field goals. They turned the ball over seven times in the frame compared to three turnovers from the Owls, who held the home team without a field goal for more than six consecutive minutes. When the halftime buzzer sounded, it was a one-point game in favor of Southern Miss.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of gas, players in 2OT loss to LA Tech
While it probably won’t move the needle for those outside of South Main, this victory might very well go down as the win of the year.

The teams traded baskets in the third quarter but although Rice was able to tie the score twice, they never took the lead, instead allowing Southern Miss to gradually increase the margin to seven points midway through the fourth quarter.

Southern Miss outrebounded Rice 43-41. They outshot the Owls 36.7 percent to 27.9 percent. Through the first 38+ minutes of regulation, Rice never led. But when Malia Fisher secured a putback with 1:12 to play and Destiny Jackson followed with a layup with 18 seconds remaining, none of those numbers mattered.

Rice only led for 42 seconds, but it was the most meaningful 42 seconds of the game. For this shorthanded team to have so much go against them and still find a way to win is absolutely stunning. While it probably won’t move the needle for those outside of South Main, this victory might very well go down as the win of the year.

Player Spotlight | Ashlee Austin

On a day when nobody wearing blue and gray could find the basket, Ashlee Austin’s offensive contributions were massive. Austin led both teams with 18 points and added 10 rebounds, including three offensive boards. It was her first career double-double of the season, and every point and rebound was critical to complete the Owls’ thrilling comeback.

Stat Corner | 27.9 Percent

Rice women’s basketball came into this game averaging 40.4 percent shooting from the field on the season. Every team has its good days and its bad days when it comes to shooting, but the Owls had unarguably their worst shooting performance of the season on Saturday against the team atop the C-USA West Standings.

Entering Saturday, the Owls’ worst shooting percentage in a win was 38 percent against Texas Southern on Nov. 17.  They hadn’t won a game shooting worst than 30 percent since beating Old Dominion in February of 2019. Rice shot 27.9 percent against Southern Miss. And they won.

Final Box | Rice 51 – Southern Miss 46

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has two final games remaining on the regular season slate. They will host UTEP on Mar. 3 and then UTSA on Mar. 5, Senior Day. From there, it’s onto the Conference USA Tournament which could start for Rice as early as Tuesday, Mar. 8.

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Rice Basketball rally falls one shot short against LA Tech

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Rice Basketball did all the right things to engineer a comeback, but the Owls couldn’t muster enough juice to upend Louisiana Tech.

“I guess the head coach of the losing team doesn’t usually say this, but man, that was a heck of a college basketball game,” Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera said following the finale. He lamented the result, but praised the effort of both teams. “We didn’t lose that game. They won it. And there’s a difference.”

It took Rice basketball some time to get going against Louisiana Tech. Carl Pierre delivered an opening three, but over the span of the next eight minutes Rice would manage just one field goal, a layup from Travis Evee. Despite those initial struggles from the field, the Owls were able to hang tough with the Bulldogs.

Louisiana Tech would stretch their lead to seven points. Rice answered with a series of threes, one each from Evee and Pierre. Again, the visitors would surge. That seven points represented the Owls’ halftime deficit which would grow to a game-high 10 point advantage for Louisiana Tech on the opening possession. Rice was officially in catch up mode.

Last Time Out: Rice Basketball late rally falls short vs FIU

From that point on, Rice basketball seemed to find its rhythm. Rice shot 59.4 percent from the field in the second half, knocking down 13-of-18 shots from inside the arc plus six threes. Challenged to find success inside, Max Fiedler and Myljyael Poteat were critical pieces in the Rice rally.

The double-digit lead for Louisiana Tech slowly dwindled. By the time the clock reached the one-minute mark it was a seven-point game and Rice was in foul mode. The Owls hit multiple threes in that stretch and converted a traditional three-point play, but Louisiana Tech made their foul shots and was able to escape with a four-point win.

Player Spotlight | Terrance McBride

As the Rice basketball lineup has continued to churn, Terrance McBride has emerged as a viable answer in the backcourt. He finished with seven points and tied for the team lead with six assists while delivering two of the most crucial layups of the entire game in the final 20 seconds of the second half, cutting to the basket and drawing an extra free throw, which he hit, to make it a one=possession game.

Stat Corner | Six

Pera was quick to point out one stat in the postgame presser in defense of his team’s quality play: turnovers. “I bet no team that they played in 27 games turned the ball over six times,” Pera said. “I would check that one.” So we did.

The Owls’ six giveaways tied the fewest turnovers forced by Louisiana Tech this season. NC State committed just six turnovers in a Nov. 27 game. The Wolfpack won. Rice was one shot away. Interestingly enough, Louisiana Tech forced less than 10 turnovers on just one other occasion this year: Jan. 27, their game against Rice in Ruston, LA.

Final Box | LA Tech 83 – Rice 79

Up Next | Full Schedule

The last home game of the season for Rice basketball is slated for Saturday, Feb. 26 when they take on Southern Miss. After that, the Owls finish up with road games at UTEP on Mar. 3 and UTSA on Mar. 5. prior to the start of the conference tournament on Mar. 8.

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Shorthanded Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of gas in OT vs LA Tech

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Rice Women’s Basketball fought to the end but ran out of gas in a double-overtime defeat at Louisiana Tech.

Winners of three straight, Rice women’s basketball headed to Ruston with confidence. The Owls had seemingly gotten over the hump and gotten into a rhythm. The Conference USA Division was so wide open, in fact, that Rice entered the game with a real chance to leap up the standings. To get there, Rice would have to defeat Louisiana Tech for the second time this season, a feat they came within two overtimes of achieving.

Things started quietly enough with both teams trading points in the first quarter. Louisana Tech would go on the game’s first big run, taking a nine-point lead into halftime. That lead would briefly reach 10 points midway through the third quarter, then Ashlee Austin took over.

Last Time Out: Rice Women’s Basketball takes second straight from UAB

Following an eight-point outburst from Destiny Jackson, Austin would score the Owls’ final 14 points of the third quarter. No other Owls scored in that frame, but Rice wouldn’t need much more help at that point. The large lead was ground down to three points when the fourth quarter began.

It was Maya Bokunewicz who would step up next. She connected on back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to give Rice its first lead since the beginnings of the second quarter. Not long after, India Bellamy was helped off the court by trainers who were able to hold on and force overtime.

Rice women’s basketball hung tough in the first extra period but had to watch as what might have been the game-winning last-second shot by Malia Fisher bounced off the boards. In the second overtime, Rice would not be as fortunate. Fisher fouled out as did Jackson and the shorthanded Owls were held without a field goal in the final period, falling on the road 90-80.

Player Spotlight | Destiny Jackson

Jackson has been a revelation over the last month of the season. She’s developed into a lethal scoring threat, but she did it all on Thursday night against Louisiana Tech, notching her first carer double-double. She had 10 rebounds to lead all Owls with 14 points and six assists. If good things were happening for Rice, Jackson was almost always involved.

Stat Corner | More than once, twice

Rice women’s basketball was extremely fortunate they were able to get Bellamy back on the court in overtime after a nasty looking fall in regulation. They needed her down the stretch in large part because this team seemingly doesn’t know how to quit, even when facing tired legs and endless extra periods. This game marks the second overtime game Rice has played this season and both games have included multiple extra periods. Rice lost to Charlotte in 4 OT on Jan. 22.

Final Box | LA Tech 90 – Rice 80

Up Next | Full Schedule

Rice women’s basketball has one last stop on the road this coming Saturday against Southern Miss, then it’s back to Houston for two final home games to wrap up the regular season. They’ll host UTEP on Mar. 3 and UTSA on Mar. 5, Senior Day.

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Rice Baseball 2022: Owls top HBU for first win of Cruz Jr. era

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Rice baseball picked up the first win of the Jose Cruz Jr. era, beating Houston Baptist and former Rice great Lance Berkman.

Opening weekend wasn’t the grand entrance many Rice baseball fans had been hoping for with new head coach Jose Cruz Jr. in the dugout. The Owls were swept, gave up 36 runs and only scored three of their own. Reasons for optimism were in dire need. They found several in a midweek win over Houston Baptist.

Although the narrative surrounding the game centered on a battle of coaches — Cruz and Houston Baptist headman Lance Berkman were once roommates at Rice — the game itself was vigorous. Rice jumped out in front when two runs scored on an HBU error in the first inning.

Rice added to their advantage the following inning on a sac fly by Austin Bulman and once more on a fourth-inning RBI double by Antonio Cruz. Leading 4-0, Rice pitcher Parker Smith had all the breathing room he needed.

Last Time Out : Takeaways from Rice Baseball swept by Texas, 3-0

“I was just trying to throw strikes,” Smith said once he’d wrapped up six innings of scoreless baseball, striking out four without issuing any walks. Other than a hit batsman, the pitching performance was almost a full 180-degree turn from how the Owls fared last weekend.

Things were quiet on the scoreboard until Smith left the game. Following two runs from the Owls in the top half of the seventh, the Huskies would muster their first run in the bottom of the frame. They’d get one more in the eighth before falling to the Owls by a final score of 6-2.

What it means

The talent differential between Rice baseball and Houston Baptist is supposed to be fairly sizable. Rice should win this game more often than they don’t, but learning how to win is something that holds material weight in the baseball world of superstitions and processes. Rice got the monkey off their back before it turned into a gorilla. 1-3 isn’t great, but it’s a lot better than 0-4.

“I’m so excited we finally won a game,” Cruz Jr. said in relief. “The boys have been hungry for it, they’ve been working hard. So I’m happy to get that out of the way.”

ON DECK | Lamar

Rice baseball kicks off a 17-game homestand on Friday, beginning with a three-game series against Lamar. That set is part of a 34-game home schedule, the most regular-season games every play at Reckling Park following it’s opening in 2000.

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