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Rice Baseball drops water-logged series to Louisiana Tech

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Rice Baseball lost a compressed weekend series to Louisiana Tech, salvaging a split of a seven-inning doubleheader to avoid a sweep at home.

FRIDAY | LA Tech 6 – Rice 4

Rice starter Parker Smith looked lost in the early portions of the series opener on Friday night. His command was loose and he was hit early and often, facing seven hitters and allowing two runs in the first inning before allowing the first two batters in the second to reach base. Head coach Jose Cruz Jr. stuck with his ace. “All of a sudden, the next thing you know, he throws six innings, right?” Cruz chuckled.

Smith was lifted after 5.2 innings when an error extended an inning he should have escaped from, and eventually did thanks to a quick out from reliever Cristian Cienfuegos. The bats for those two runs back in the second, tying the game on an RBI triple from Ben Royo and a subsequent single by Manny Garza. The score would level again at 4-4 with reliever Matthew Linskey surrendering two solo home runs later before Louisiana Tech tagged Krishna Raj with two runs in the ninth to win it.

SATURDAY AM | LA Tech 5 – Rice 4 (7 inn.)

Brody Drost for Louisiana Tech and Guy Garibay for Rice exchanged solo home runs in the second in a quick but otherwise quiet offensive game through the early innings. At least, that was the case until Rice starter JD McCracken found himself in a jam in the fifth inning. After loading the bases on a single, walk and hit batsman, he gave up the lead on a single to right field and was lifted for Justin Long.

Long was unable to limit the damage, though, and it might have been the difference in the game. Louisiana Tech cleared the bases with a double then tacked on a sac fly. Leading 5-1, Rice got three runs in the seventh but stranded the tying run on first base.

SATURDAY PM | Rice 4 – LA Tech 0 (7 inn.)

Jacob Devenney, rewarded for his pinch-hit RBI single in the early game, drew the start in the finale and came around to score the go-ahead run in the first inning on a double from Aaron Smigelski. Neither team would score in the second, third or fourth innings as Rice starter Tom Vincent delivered one his best outings of the season (3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs) and the bullpen — specifically Cristian Cienfuegos, Tyler Hamilton, Krishna Raj and Jack Ben-Shoshan — kept Louisiana Tech off the board completely.

Rice picked up insurance in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on a couple of infield singles and walks. Leading 4-0, Ben-Shoshan was able to hang on a close the door, albeit with some drama in the final moments.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Despite outscoring its opponent this time around, Rice baseball dropped its third consecutive Conference USA series, all by 2-1 margins. Louisiana Tech had the upper hand this weekend. Here are a few takeaways from the series.

1. Unclutch

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Rice Baseball drops marathon hit-fest to Houston

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Pitching fans, look away. Rice Baseball and crosstown rival Houston combined for 32 hits and 27 runs in an offense-heavy midweek matchup that went to the Cougars.

There were zero runs scored by either team in the first inning at Schroeder Park on Tuesday night. That would prove to be the only frame of split zeros between Rice baseball and Houston in a raucous midweek affair that featured plenty of runs and not as much quality pitching.

Rice starter Garret Zaskoda went 1.2 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits before being lifted. His counterpart, Houston starter Graysen Drezek made it 2.1 innings but was tagged for four runs on four hits. Those would prove to be among the longer relief stints for either side in a game that featured 14 pitchers.

Last Time Out: Rice Baseball pitching woes fester in series loss to FAU

Despite the back-and-forth, Rice looked to have positioned themselves well with a three-run sixth inning that followed a three-run fifth. The Owls led 11-5 going into the bottom of the inning but were outscored 9-2 for the remainder of the game. Houston walked it off in the bottom of the ninth, breaking a 13-13 tie at the time.

What it means | Pushing the wrong buttons

Over the course of the last three games, Rice baseball has run into the realities that accompany having a revolving door at the back end of the rotation. Not having anyone nailed down to a particular role does give flexibility, but it also produces inherent challenges like what the Owls encountered on Tuesday night. No matter what button the staff pressed, outs wouldn’t come. Once an elite closer, Matthew Linskey was hit hard, too.

More: Rice Baseball Nonconference State of the Program

Midweek games against pitting teams with developing pitching staffs frequently feature lots of runs, that’s part of the game. Blowing six runs leads, though, that’ll sting regardless of how realistic your pitching expectations are for any individual contest. Houston scored in eight of nine innings. It’s hard to win any game where an opponent is that productive at the plate.

On the bright side, it was nice to see Paul Smith, Aaron Smigelski, Ben Royo, Manny Garza and Jack Riedel each deliver a multi-hit game. If the pitching staff isn’t going to be dominant, having healthy bats matters.

ON DECK | vs LA Tech (Thr-Sat)

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Parker Smith the bright spot in Rice Baseball series loss at FAU

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Parker Smith delivered a masterpiece on Friday night, but the rest of the weekend was less rosy for Rice Baseball, who dropped the series to FAU.

FRIDAY | Rice 1 – FAU 0

Connor Walsh belted a home run over the right field wall on Friday night and trotted around the bases, tapping home plate with his cleats. When he did so, he became the only player of the night to cross the dish and score a run. His solo blast proved to be the only meaningful offensive spark for either team in a Friday night pitcher’s duel.

More: Rice Baseball nonconference Stat of the Program

FAU managed seven hits against Rice starter Parker Smith. Rice totaled just three all against FAU starter Hunter Cooley. The visiting Owls got the hit that mattered most, clinging to Smith’s dazzling start (more on that later) to earn the series-opening win.

SATURDAY | FAU 10 – Rice 7

Both teams traded scoreless innings early on in the second game of the series but even though Rice had taken a 1-0 lead on a Ben Royo home run, the shift in pace wouldn’t be fully realized until FAU struck with a 4-run fourth inning to post the first crooked number of the weekend. Rice would get two back in the fifth, only to relinquish that edge by allowing two in the bottom of the frame.

Trailing 3-4, Manny Garza and Drew Holderbach each picked up multi-RBI hits in the sixth, taking a 7-6 lead. It would not last. Rice relievers Justin Long and Tom Vincent were both tagged with multiple runs, Vincent’s pair occurring in just 0.1 innings. The offense showed some life, but FAU’s second four-run frame — this time in the seventh — evened the series.

SUNDAY| FAU 14 – Rice 4 (8 inn.)

Behind 2-0 after the first inning, Rice had its chance to equal FAU’s multi-run frame in the second. The Owls got one run back and then loaded the bases but were unable to get the equalizing score. Coming up that one play short would be the theme of the day for the offense while the pitching staff continued on its downward trajectory from the day prior.

Rice baseball utilized six different pitchers in the series finale. Of the six, Tyler Hamilton was the only reliever to work at least an inning and not allow multiple runs. Trusted arm Matthew Linskey walked three and did not record an out, a microcosm of the day for the Owls’ pitching staff. Four runs were simply not enough when the struggles on the mound are that extreme and the game ended early via run rule in the eighth.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

Rice baseball dropped its second consecutive Conference USA series, both by 2-1 margins. The Owls fell to UTSA by that result the weekend prior before posting a 2-1 series loss to FAU this time around. Other than Parker Smith, this one felt decidedly less encouraging. Here are a few takeaways from the weekend.

1. The Parker Smith show

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ON DECK | at Houston (Tues),  VS LA Tech (Thr-Sat)

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Strong start lifts Rice Baseball to win over Lamar

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A four-run first set the tone for a tremendous night for Rice baseball, which improved to 13-12 on the season with the victory over Lamar.

The first four to the plate for Rice baseball came around to score in the very first inning, a harbinger of good things to come for the Owls at the beginning of their five-game road trip. Little did they know it at the time, but those four runs would prove to be enough by themselves with Lamar’s only significant threat coming with a two-run fourth inning off reliever Garret Zaskoda.

With the game relatively close at that time, Rice broke out the boom sticks. Ben Royo, who hadn’t homered in a game this season until he went yard in the Saturday game against UAB, went yard for the fifth time in the Owls’ last seven games with a two-run shot in the sixth. Drew Holderbach added an insurance dinger in the seventh. Paul Smith and Guy Garibay each drove in a run apiece in the eighth.

Last Time Out: Rice Baseball drops series, shows strengths vs UTSA

As the bats added to the total, the Owls’ arms kept the Cardinals off the board. Cristian Cienfuegos was terrific, striking out three of the five batters he faced. Jack Ben-Shoshan and Matthew Linskey each recorded multiple strikeouts and no runs in their relief appearances. It wasn’t a perfect performance from the pen, but it was a solid night, which is more than enough when the bats are hot.

What it means | Setting the tone

The bats deserve credit, but coming from behind to win games is far from an ideal strategy. To this point in the season, Rice has been able to get base runners early in games, but delivering a crooked number straight away hasn’t been in the cards… until Tuesday night.

Entering the game against Lamar, Rice had scored eight first inning runs in their first 24 games, an average of a third of a run per opening frame. That’s not very much. So when the Owls loaded the bases with no outs in the first, there was a sense of inevitability in the Beaumont air. Undoubtedly, the Owls were due.

More: Rice Baseball Nonconference State of the Program

A four-run first served as a resounding answer and set the tone for a midweek tilt that pushed Rice baseball back above .500. Getting that many runs in your first plate appearance aren’t likely to be an every night experience,  but the impact of the fast start had on the game was unmistakable. Having Justin Long deliver 2.2 scoreless innings on the mound helped, too. Rice needs more starts like this.

ON DECK | at FAU (Fri-Sun)

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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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