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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls avoid sweep at Old Dominion, but struggles remain

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Rice baseball salvaged one road win against Old Dominion but suffered another tough series loss against a conference foe.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses series 3-1

1. Wasted opportunity

Rice baseball had ample opportunity this weekend against Old Dominion. A split against a ranked squad was well within reach. And had the Owls managed a bit more luck, this series was winnable. Instead, they leave Norfolk 1-3. But the opportunities were there.

Rice went 8-for-35 (.229) with runners in scoring position during the four-game series. Take out a .500 outing (5-for-10) in their lone win and the Owls managed to hit 3-for-25 (.120) with runners in scoring position in the remaining games. That’s abysmal. No matter how good the pitching, you’re not going to win many series if you can’t drive in runs. Saturday night was proof this team can do it. But until they can repeat the feat, it’s going to be a tall order against teams of this caliber.

2. Insanity avoided

Everyone has heard the definition of insanity. If nothing else, the Owls avoided repeating the same bullpen usage and lineups after they clearly weren’t getting the job done through two games. Micah Davis then Guy Garibay tag-teamed the Saturday afternoon game. Matthew Linskey got the Sunday start with Blake Brogdon following him.

At the plate, Will Karp was inserted at catcher. Freshman Nathan Becker started at DH. Ben Dukes got another shot in the outfield. Is jumbling the lineup a sure-fire fix for the long term? No. But something needed to change on Saturday evening. Thankfully, it did.

3. Where does Rice baseball go from here?

The good news, sobering after two successive underwhelming weekends, is the road ahead. Rice baseball just played two of the best four teams in the conference. The schedule eases up from this point forward.

The Owls play two more road series, but both come against other teams currently below .500 in Conference USA play. They’ll face West Division leader Louisiana Tech and East Division leader Charlotte, but take on both at Reckling Park. It’s not an easy road ahead, but it’s more manageable than where this team has been in the past two weeks.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Old Dominion 11 – Rice 4

Roel Garcia made his first Friday night start of the season. Rice needed a bit outing from their ace, but settled for a solid start spoiled by some trouble in the middle innings. Garcia allows a pair of homers, falling behind 4-0 after four innings. The offense rallied to tie the score in the top of the sixth, stringing together a series of big hits including an RBI triple by Hal Hughes.

Garcia would be asked to return for the bottom of the frame, but ran into trouble and was lifted with two runs in and one out recorded. Garret Zaskoda and Dalton Wood were unable to keep Rice close, allowing an additional five runs in the final two innings, resulting in a one-sided final score.

SATURDAY 1 | Old Dominion 11 – Rice 2

Things started on the wrong foot for Rice on Saturday and went downhill fast. Starter Mitchell Holcomb was relieved in the fourth inning after already surrendering three home runs, including a two-run shot that put Old Dominion ahead 7-1. Reed Gallant was unable to ease the pain, giving up an additional three runs in the fourth before being lifted himself.

From that point, the Owls had no answer. The Owls were able to get traffic on the bases in the sixth and seventh innings, but left the bases loaded in each instance. A big hit or two could have made things closer, but it never came.

SATURDAY 2 | Rice 11 – Old Dominion 2

The third game proved to be a crucial one for Rice. After being blasted in successive games, it was a now or never moment. Becker delivered the first dose of hope with a two-run home run in the second. Fellow newcomer Garibay held his own on the mound, allowing just two runs in 4.1 innings before ceding to Brandon Deskins to slam the door.

Rice entered the seventh with a 5-2 lead but left nothing to chance. They struck for six runs in the final inning, loading the bases and collecting hit after hit. The crooked number was more than enough to snap the Owls’ losing streak and breath some life into the roster.

SUNDAY | Old Dominion 4 – Rice 1

Head coach Matt Bragga handed the ball to Linskey first on Sunday rather than usual starter Brogdon, who quickly came on in relief after some accuracy issues from Linskey. Brogdon did allow one inherited runner to scare, but was otherwise strong in a 6.2 inning relief appearance. He was charged with two earned runs, which was unfortunately more than the Rice bats would score in the game.

A fielder’s choice in the second inning would score the only run of the game for the Owls. Rice wouldn’t get another runner to third base, going three-up-and-three-down twice in the final seven innings.

ON DECK | UTSA (Fri-Sun, four games).

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls dealt one-sided sweep by LA Tech

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For the third weekend in a row, Rice baseball dropped a conference series, this time coming at home against a red-hot, ranked Louisiana Tech club.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball loses series 4-0

1. Mental toughness is missing

Rice was locked into a pitcher’s duel on Friday night. Owls’ hurler Blake Brogdon was going toe-to-toe with C-USA Pitcher of the Year candidate Jonathan Fincher. But when Brogdon waivered in the sixth inning, the team behind him folded. Dalton Wood entered with two men in scoring position and no outs. He walked two, allowed a run on a passed ball and another run on a balk.

Rice blew a two-run lead in the final inning to start Saturday’s doubleheader. Then they were blasted 20-6 in the second leg. Things went from bad to worse quickly, and nobody was there to stop the bleeding. On Sunday Rice led 2-1, then when tied 2-2, allowed a crushing 4-run sixth inning.

Head coach Matt Bragga summed it up well in a recent conversation. “As a club, we’re not mentally tough enough.” If Rice wants to contend in Conference USA. That has to change. Losing close games is painful, but wilting when the spotlight shines brightest is doubly painful.

2. Come give Comeaux some help

Rice baseball had one player on the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference team, senior third baseman Braden Comeaux. Through the first half of the season, Comeaux has more than proven his inclusion among the leagues’ best was well deserved. He’s made some spectacular plays on the hot corner and continues to hit everyone he sees.

Comeaux was one of four Owls’ to get a hit off Fincher on Friday. He helped jump-start a four-run third inning on Saturday afternoon and had a multi-hit outing Saturday night. His relentless consistency has been the best part of the Rice offense all season.

3. Missing a dominant phase

What’s hurt Rice the most during this tough opening stretch to conference play is the lack of one dominant aspect of their game to fall back on. Rice has an average offense by most metrics. Their pitching is below average. The fielding has been slightly above average, but the Owls did commit five errors this weekend across the four games.

Teams like UTSA (a great offense) or Middle Tennessee (great pitching) have managed to hover around .500 in the league play. Rice doesn’t have to fix everything all at once to start winning more baseball games, but at least one phase needs to take a step-change if Rice wants to stay competitive down the stretch.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | LA Tech 6 – Rice 0

Blake Brogdon kept Louisiana Tech at bay for five innings, but the Rice bats never proved much of a threat on Friday night against Jonathan Fincher. When Louisiana Tech broke the tie in the sixth, the Bulldogs’ three-run outburst felt like a much more exorbitant deficit.

Another three-run inning for Louisiana Tech in the eighth pushed the game further out of reach. Rice managed just four hits and had multiple base runners in just two of the nine innings.

SATURDAY 1 | LA Tech 7 – Rice 6

The bats were more productive for Rice on Saturday, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to take a 6-2 lead after five innings. Cade Edwards and Bradley Gneiting hit two-run home runs. Austin Bulman and Connor Walsh provided the other run-scoring hits.

As the offense worked, Rice starter Roel Garcia held Louisiana Tech at bay and left the seven-inning game in the sixth with the lead. It would not last. The combination of Garret Zaskoda and Guy Garibay could not hold the lead. Louisiana Tech would score five runs in the final two innings to win 7-6.

SATURDAY 2 | Louisiana Tech 20 – Rice 6

After coming painfully close on Saturday afternoon the Owls were never within striking distance from a doubleheader split later that same day. Louisiana Tech scored eight runs in the second inning of Rice starter Mitchell Holcomb, who recorded just four outs. By the time Rice scored its first run in the fourth, they had already trailed 12-0.

Rice used five pitchers. All but Jared Plank allowed three or more runs. Plank’s outing was actually one of the best of the weekend by any Rice pitcher, throwing one scoreless inning with just one hit allowed. It wouldn’t be enough to slow the Louisiana Tech onslaught, though.

SUNDAY | Louisiana Tech 13 – Rice 4

Rice showed some initial resistance in the series finale. With Brandon Deskins on the mound, Rice fell behind 1-0 in the fourth inning. The bats responded immediately, manufacturing the tying run with a sacrifice fly and the go-ahead run on an RBI single. The Owls stole four bases in the inning.

The lead would prove to be short-lived. Deskins got into some trouble in the fifth with two walks of his own plus an error in the infield. Louisiana Tech would strike for two runs in that inning, piling on four more in the sixth and six more in the final two innings.

ON DECK | Incarnate Word (Tues), Old Dominion (Fri-Sun, four games).

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls knock off Texas A&M in midweek road tilt

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Rice baseball picked up one of their biggest wins of the year on Tuesday, taking down Texas A&M in College Station, 2-1.

Winners of six of their last nine, Rice baseball entered its midweek bout with Texas A&M on the upswing. The Aggies had just been swept on the road by No. 5 Florida, but still boasted a stalwart 15-8 record.

To earn the pivotal win, Rice needed a big game from redshirt freshman starting pitcher Garret Zaskoda, who had struggled in his prior outing against Texas State surrendering seven runs in 3+ innings. This Tuesday night it was abundantly clear that Zakoda was not phased by the bright lights of Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

Podcast: Former Rice football star Christian Covington talks football, Marvel

Zaskoda pitched a gem. He held the potent Texas A&M offense to a first inning single, their only hit against him in 5.1 innings while striking out four and walking four. Most importantly, he kept the maroon and white off the scoreboard,

The offense did their part, manufacturing a crucial run in the fourth inning. Guy Garibay signled and stole stolen base. A throwing error got him to third, where Cade Edwards drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

Rice would add a necessary insurance run in the top of the ninth when Hal Hughes drove in Connor Walsh in the top of the ninth. Texas A&M would get one run back via the long ball in the ninth, but Rice held on to win 2-1.

What it means

This was the first win for Rice over Texas A&M under head coach Matt Bragga. The Owls ended the 2020 season prematurely following a midweek loss to the Aggies at Reckling Park. They fell to Texas A&M on the road in 2019 in Bragga’s first season at the helm in Houston.

When Rice is at its best, the Owls have gone toe-to-toe with every other program in the state. Trading blows with the Aggies and the Longhorns is an important measuring stick for what the Owls’ hope is an upward trajectory. So far, so good. Rice plays Texas in Austin in their last game of the regular season.

ON DECK |  UTSA

Rice baseball returns home this weekend to kick off their conference schedule against UTSA. This will mark the first of a series of four-game sets against the same team. Rice also has a return trip to San Antonio on the calendar for a second series in late April.

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Rice Baseball 2021: 12-run inning dooms Owls at Texas State in midweek tilt

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A rough fourth inning snowballed quickly on Rice baseball, who fell in seven innings to Texas State on the road on Wednesday.

The first three batters reached base for Texas State in their midweek win over Rice baseball. The third baserunner reached via a single to give the Bobcats an early 1-0 lead. They would never look back.

Texas State was ready for Rice pitcher Garret Zaskoda in his first career start. He lasted 3+ innings and was charged with six runs. Following his hook, Dillon Janac and Mike Davis struggled to close out the inning. In total, Rice pitchers allowed six hits, four walks and four hit baseman in what became a disastrous 12-run fourth inning for Texas State.

Podcast: Former Rice football star Christian Covington talks football, Marvel

Ny the time the Rice offense got going, it was too-little-too-late. Rice scored five runs in their final three frames, but it wasn’t enough to curtail a 10-inning run-rule which halted the game after the seventh inning. It was the first time Rice has lost by run-rule since 2016.

A double from Hal Hughes and a home run from Connor Walsh were the only extra-base hits from Rice hitters in the game.

What it means

Rice baseball lost to Texas State for the seventh consecutive time on Wednesday. The Owls still lead the all-time series 61-20, but it’s been all Bobcats for the last several seasons. An 8-8 record through 16 games is head-and-shoulders better than the 2-14 mark where Rice ended last season. Yet nights light this one serve as a reminder there is work still to be done.

ON DECK |

Rice baseball returns home for a three-game series against Southern this weekend. It’s their last scheduled nonconference weekend series of the year.

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Rice Baseball 2021: Connor Walsh walk off lifts Rice to series win over HBU

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Rice baseball bounced back from an opening loss, taking two of three games against crosstown Houston Baptist to open their 2021 campaign.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice wins series 2-1

1. COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri throw Owls a curve

Roel Garcia was meant to be the Opening Day starter for Rice baseball. Of course, that was when Opening Day was meant to happen on Friday night against Little Rock. Then Winter Storm Uri brought the city of Houston to a standstill and directly impacted who Rice has available to work with this week, including Garcia who was bumped from Friday to Sunday to ensure he had adequate time to ramp up.

Gacia wasn’t the only Owl displaced from the presumed normal roster. Freshman outfielder Guy Garibay was unavailable for the weekend because of COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing. There’s optimism he’ll be able to make his debut next weekend against Louisiana.

Head coach Matt Bragga was emphatic that the missing pieces weren’t an excuse for the Owls’ sluggish opener. Nevertheless, the carousel of available players — and the first cancelation of the season (the midweek game against Lamar has been shelved by the Cardinals) — served as yet another reminder that the 2021 season will still be bumpy, storm or not.

2. New catcher(s) in town

Catcher Justin Collins was among the Owls who did not play this weekend. His status was uncertain the last time this spring, but Bragga confirmed that he did not expect Collins to return. It looks like incoming transfer Will Karp, who hasn’t played the position much at all since high school, will assume the bulk of the responsibilities behind the plate.

Viewed as a do-it-all infielder when he was recruited, Karp has transitioned from that side of the diamond to behind the plate quite well. He flashed a good arm, caught a few would-be-base stealers and held his own behind the dish.

He was also productive with his bat. Karp, third baseman Braden Comeaux and outfielder Justin Dunlap were the only Owls with hits in all three games.

Freshman Justin Long got a chance behind the dish on Monday. We’ll probably see both guys over the next few weeks. Rice will have a few weeks to establish a new plan at the position before conference play arrives.

3. The bullpen is better and has the potential to be really good

Brandon Deskins hadn’t thrown in more than a week when he was asked to pitch Rice out of a jam on Saturday afternoon. He did give up a hard-hit RBI ball, with the runs charged to Alex DeLeon ahead of him, but settled in quickly. Deskins threw 3.2 innings, allowed three hits and struck out four.

Garret Zaskoda, who received a look as a possible midweek starting option, was sharp in his relief appearance on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits in four innings. Reed Gallant kept the ball rolling on Monday with five shutout innings, allowing no hits along the way.

Three of the five relievers Rice baseball deployed in the series were superb (Deskins, Zaskoda, Gallant). Only DeLeon allowed multiple runs. At the very least, more good outings than bad is a step in the right direction for the Rice bullpen which still has plenty of talented young arms like Dillon Janac and Matthew Linskey waiting in the wings.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

SATURDAY | HBU 8 – Rice 7 (10 Inn)

You couldn’t have drawn up a much better start for Rice. The first four Owls that stepped to the plate delivered with hits. Then the opening stanza was capped off with a three-run bomb from Austin Bulman. From that point onward, though, the offense was almost silent.  “They shut us down for the next nine innings, honestly,” Bragga said with a grimace.

Starter Mitchell Holcomb allowed three runs in 5.1 innings, but things soured when Alex DeLeon allowed four runs without recording an out, allowing Houston Baptist to take a 7-4 lead.

Rice added two unearned runs in the sixth, but trailed Houston Baptist 7-8 entering the ninth. The Owls manufactured one more run to force extras but fell in the 10th with the would-be game-winning run at the plate.

SUNDAY | Rice 9 – HBU 3

The pitching was much better for Rice in the second game of the series. The two-man combination of Blake Brogdon and Zaskoda allowed three runs on eight hits, striking out seven and walking three. Zaskoda earned his first career win in the result, supported by a thunderous late-game burst by the Rice bats.

After swapping runs in the middle frames, Rice hung a five-spot in the eighth inning. That crooked number effectively put the game out of reach. Hal Hughes and Karp had RBIs in the inning, but it was a bases-clearing RBI triple by reliable third baseman Comeaux that proved to be the insurmountable crescendo.

MONDAY | Rice 1 – HBU 0

The getaway game is typically slanted toward the offenses, but that wasn’t the case this time around. Garcia, bumped from the opener to the series finale, was sharp in his return to the mound, throwing four scoreless innings for the Owls.

Bragga said Garcia’s velocity isn’t quite back at 100 percent. Even so, he still managed to work through HBU’s lineup with relative ease. Gallant took over and blanked the Huskies for the next five frames, earning the win in his first-ever collegiate outing.

With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, incoming transfer Connor Walsh found the barrel and delivered his first base hit as a Rice Owl. The ball scorched down the alley in right center field, driving in a runner from third, giving Rice the game and series win.

ON DECK | Rice Baseball vs Lamar (Canceled), at Louisiana (Fri-Sun)

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