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Rice Baseball drops series, but pushes UTSA to the wire

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Rice Baseball went toe-to-toe with league-leading UTSA and while the Owls lost the series, they measured up well against the Roadrunners.

FRIDAY | UTSA 4 – Rice 3 (11 inn.)

It didn’t seem like it would turn into a pitcher’s dual on Friday afternoon following an exchange of two-run home runs by each starter in the first inning, but that’s where the game went following Guy Garibay’s game-tying blast over the right field wall. Parker Smith would settle in from that point onward, finishing with three runs allowed (two earned) and six strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched.

More: Rice Baseball nonconference Stat of the Program

The unearned run would prove to be costly, though. Smith committed an error on a leadoff bunt single, allowing the runner to advance to second. Then he came in to score shortly after on a wild pitch. Trailing 3-2, Rice baseball would rally to tie the score in the ninth on a pinch-hit single by Paul Smith before ultimately falling in the 11th inning.

SATURDAY | Rice 13 – UTSA 8

After a modest start at the plate for both squads, the bats came out swinging in earnest on Saturday. The teams combined for six runs in the second inning, with Garibay starting the hit parade for the Owls with a home run with Manny Garza and Benjamin Rosengard collecting RBI in the inning as well. UTSA would punch back to briefly take a 5-4 lead before the Owls’ offense exploded again.

Rice baseball struck for five runs in the fifth with two RBI from Garza and three from Paul Smith on a home run. The nine runs would be enough, but the Owls would add two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings for good measure, hanging on to win 13-8 and force a rubber game on Sunday.

SUNDAY| UTSA 6 – Rice 5

UTSA struck for two runs in the second inning against Rice starter Tom Vincent, signally another game that would require run production to win. Rice responded immediately afterward, taking the lead on back-to-back home runs by Aaron Smigelski and Ben Royo, on consecutive pitches, no less. UTSA answered with a two-run shot in the third to go up 4-3 and the game was on.

Another home run, this time by Connor Walsh, evened the score at five in the sixth inning where the margin remained until UTSA came through with a two-out double to right-center in the eighth, going ahead for good. Rice would not reach base in either of their final two frames, dropping the game and the series on Sunday afternoon.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball has dropped their three-game series with UTSA two games to one, narrowly losing out on the chance to win a series against the best team in Conference USA. Even in defeat, the Owls acquitted themselves well and proved they belong near the top of the standings in a variety of ways. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Game On

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Fast start not enough as Rice Baseball falls to Texas A&M for third time

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Rice Baseball started fast, but couldn’t hold on, falling to Texas A&M for the third time on the season in as many games.

Rice baseball couldn’t have asked for much of a better start to their midweek tilt against Texas A&M. Benjamin Rosengard mashed a leadoff home run to put the Owls in front 1-0. Drew Holderbach followed two innings later with a two-run blast, spotting the road team a 3-0 lead entering the bottom half of the inning. The lead would not last.

Texas A&M drove Rice starter Garret Zaskoda from the game in the fourth, connecting on four consecutive extra-base hits to tie the game in the process. A pickoff attempt gone awry by Cristian Cienfuegos in the following frame would allow the Aggies to go ahead, an advantage they’d lengthen as the game progressed.

Last Time Out: Rice Baseball grinds out hard-fought sweep over UAB

Texas A&M added an insurance run in the sixth and two more in the eighth, all via the long ball. Trailing by four in the ninth, Rice snapped out of their offensive funk. Ben Royo hit the game’s fifth home run, getting Rice within two. Then Guy Garibay, with a runner on, deposited a ball over the right-center fence to tie the game.

Rice went to Justin Long in the ninth, proof of their desire to find a way to win. A walk followed by two softly hit balls in the infield loaded the bases, setting up the Aggies for a walk-off win which would come via a hit by pitch. For the third time this season, Rice fell to Texas A&M.

What it means | Cienfuegos joins the circle of trust

At this point, it seems unrealistic to expect Rice baseball to solidify a singular midweek starter for the season. It’s fairly obvious that head coach Jose Cruz Jr. and pitching coach Parker Bangs are willing to mix and match as they work to narrow down their pecking order on the mound. This time around, it was Cristian Cienfuegos that turned heads.

More: Rice Baseball Nonconference State of the Program

Cienfuegos stranded the would-be go-ahead runner on third base on his way to 2.2 strong innings with three strikeouts. He did allow one run (unearned) on a sequence that felt like a halfhearted throw to second that was blocked by the base runner. This was his third consecutive quality outing in a row and it probably should earn him a relief opportunity this coming weekend.

ON DECK | vs UTSA (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball grinds out hard-fought sweep at UAB

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Rice Baseball earned their second straight weekend sweep, this time taking all three games in their conference opening series at UAB.

FRIDAY | Rice 8 – UAB 1

Connor Walsh got the party started with a  three-run bast over the left field wall in the third inning to give starter Parker Smith some breathing room on the road. UAB would scratch across a run in the fifth on a single, but that would be the only damage ceded by the Rice pitching staff on the day.

More: Rice Baseball nonconference Stat of the Program

Leading 3-1 after seven, the Rice bats provided some extra insurance runs in the eighth and ninth. Graiden West picked up his first career hit, contributing to late inning boon. Manny Garza had RBI in both frames and Benjamin Rosengard and Walsh (again) drove in one apiece to round out the parade. Altogether Rice entered the bottom of the ninth with a commanding 8-1 lead and won by the same score.

SATURDAY | Rice 2 – UAB 1

JD McCracken earned the Saturday start and tossed a strong 4.1 innings of one-run ball, striking out five before ceding his turn on the mound to Justin Long who continued the impressive pitching run. He worked 3.2 scoreless innings and was credited with the win, thanks to an RBI single from Drew Holderbach in the seventh that broke an early 1-1 stalemate that had persisted since the third inning.

Krishna Raj was called upon to close out the game in the ninth. He allowed one walk, but struck out two, collecting his second save of the season and his first of the weekend.

SUNDAY| Rice 3 – UAB 1 (10 inn.)

Unlike most getaway days, this Sunday affair was a low-scoring slugfest that echoed Saturday’s nailbiter. It was UAB who took the early lead this time, chasing Rice starter Blake Brogdon from the game in the second inning and driving in the first run off Tom Vincent that same inning, although the blame lies on Brogdon’s box score.

Down 1-0 for most of the game, Rice finally had their chance in the seventh. Max Johnson drew a leadoff walk then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ben Royo moved him to third on a single to left field before Pierce Gallo’s sac-fly tied the game. The game would stay knotted at 1-1 until the 10th when Rice delivered the game-winning run courtesy of an RBI single from Manny Garza before he came around to add one more insurance run to secure the sweep.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball has now swept consecutive weekend series, something they never accomplished last season. It was also the Owls’ first series sweep to open conference play since 2015. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Being elite in one thing

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ON DECK | at Texas A&M (Tues),  vs UTSA (Fri-Sun)

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Rice Baseball 2023: Nonconference State of the Program

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Rice Baseball begins conference play this week. Here’s where the program stands and what’s next for the Owls on the diamond this spring.

With a three-game set with UAB in Birmingham now on deck, Rice baseball is about to enter the thick of its conference schedule. Scattered non-conference games remain in the midweek, but as the Owls enter the middle portions of their season, every game will start to count a little bit more. Nonconference games aren’t finished, but a new portion of the Owls’ schedule is getting ready to start.

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Following a series sweep of Houston Christian, Rice baseball head coach Jose Cruz Jr. says the staff is “excited for the direction that we’re headed.” In this midseason State of the Program, we’ll look at the highs, lows and everything in between as we explore where Rice baseball is now and where it might be in the weeks ahead.

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Rice Baseball shows sparks, but gets swept by Stanford

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Rice Baseball gave Stanford a fight at the Farm this weekend but left California without a win, falling to 2-5 on the season.

THE PLAY BY PLAY | Rice drops series 3-0

FRIDAY | Stanford 6 – Rice 3

Parker Smith cruised through the first several innings of the series opener against Stanford on Friday afternoon, giving up a hit or a walk here or there, but never really feeling like he was in any real danger early on. Part of that comfort was generated by Drew Holderbach, who delivered a two-out single through the left side to put Rice ahead 2-0 in the third inning. Stanford would get one run back in the fourth, but Rice was in control as the game went into the later innings.

More: Under the radar players for Rice baseball in 2023

Things got hairy in the sixth after Pierce Gallo committed a pair of errors that enable Stanford to tie the game. With runners on second and third and one two outs, the Owls went to Matthew Linskey, who gave up the go-ahead run and eventually two more after he lost command in the seventh. That would be it for the Owls’ who couldn’t claw back from the late deficit.

SATURDAY AM | Stanford 11 – Rice 1

With a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, a string of bullpen games was expected. Mauricio Rodriguez got the start in the first game and gave up two earned runs in 3.2 innings. Unfortunately for him, the Owls’ offense would only score once, eventually saddling him with the loss

Stanford was able to get to almost every Rice reliever that followed. Tyler Hamilton got it the worst, allowing five runs on two hits and three walks in the eighth inning, more or less the unofficial white flag for a Rice team that had collected just four hits on the day.

SATURDAY PM | Stanford 7 – Rice 4

Headed to the bottom of the second inning tied 2-2, Rice has weathered Stanford’s first scoring strike and answered. Stanford would punch back, going up 4-2 only to see Rice respond in the fourth with two runs of their own. After going through much of Friday in an evenly matched game, the second half of the doubleheader had a similar feel.

Rice had the chance to break things open with the bases loaded in the fourth inning. They scored twice, one of which came on a bases-loaded walk to Trey Duffield. They couldn’t get a bigger number across, despite the fortuitous situation. Justin Long gave the Owls a chance with a masterful 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, but the lack of run production in that key moment would come back to bite them, with Stanford scoring three in the eighth to take the lead for good.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball made it into the sixth inning tied with the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal twice this weekend but walked away without any wins. The Owls had the muscle to hang around with the Cardinal but didn’t possess that extra oomph needed to close out either of their close games. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. Rice baseball has a Friday night guy

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ON DECK | at Sam Houston (Tues),  Shriners Classic – vs Texas Tech (Fri), vs Texas A&M (Sat), vs TCU (Sun)

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