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Rice Baseball 2021: Southern Miss decisively soars past Owls

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Rice baseball stole an opening win, but couldn’t sustain the momentum, dropping a home series to a ranked Southern Miss team over the weekend.

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

1. Nine runs are not enough

The six-run opener was a positive start for the week, but it in itself was only a hair better than the conference average. C-USA schools average 5.93 runs per game. At the conclusion of this weekend’s games, Rice baseball averages 5.07 runs per game. Had Rice won 2-0 instead of 6-0 on Friday, that number would have fallen below five runs per game.

The best offenses in Conference USA score eight runs an outing. Only three average worse than five runs, but only one, Marshall, is below Rice in the overall standings. The bats aren’t doing enough, and the pitching staff isn’t strong enough to bail them out more often than a night or two on any given weekend.

2. There’s no one else to call upon

Micah Davis has served as an “opener” in three consecutive series. He’s walked multiple batters twice and allowed at least one run twice. Prior to those outings, he’s had a couple of strong relief appearances, but it hasn’t worked out well so far with him as the first man on the bump.

But it would be a mistake to put the weight of the Owls’ pitching struggles on his shoulders. He’s there because of failures among other members of the rotation. Will West made his first appearance of the season in the Friday night rout. That came after more familiar faces like Alex DeLeon and Drake Greenwood had allowed things to get out of hand.

The pitching staff many had hoped would be deep enough to weather long weeks in Conference USA play hasn’t lived up to those expectations. Outside of Brandon Deskins, Blake Brogdon and a few others, it’s become a dicey proposition.

3. It’s now or never for any sort of postseason

The top three teams in each division clinch a spot in the conference tournament with two additional spots given out to the best remaining teams by winning percentage. Sitting at six wins, Rice is four games behind Middle Tennessee for the eighth spot in the tournament. That’s a ton of room to make up in two weeks.

Rice draws UAB next. The Blazers are just above the Owls in the West standings. Should Rice win the series (or even sweep), they’d have something to play for on the final weekend of the regular season against Charlotte. Middle Tennessee, who Rice is chasing, visit Southern Miss the weekend before closing at home against FIU. It’s a tall order, but if Rice can win this weekend series, there’s a chance.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY  1 | Rice – Southern Miss

Things couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start for Rice in the first half of the weather-induced Friday doubleheader. The Owls struck first, taking the lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Bradley Gneiting and extending it with an RBI single from Will Karp shortly after.

Up 2-0, Mitchell Holcomb cruised through four innings. With two men on in the fifth, Deskins entered and induced a pop-up to end the threat. A three-run fifth inning and an insurance run courtesy of a Cade Edwards sixth-inning triple helped Rice close out the opener with relative ease.

FRIDAY 2 | Southern Miss 12 – Rice 1

After being silenced in the first game, the Southern Miss bats woke up in a hurry for the Friday nightcap. The Golden Eagles scored two in the first inning, four in the second and two more in the third. The Rice pitching trio of Davis, DeLeon and Greenwood had no answers, and before Greenwood was replaced to start the fourth inning, Rice was already in an insurmountable hole.

Rice would out-hit Southern Miss 10-0, only failing to reach base in one of the seven innings. It wouldn’t matter as the Owls hit safely in 2-of-10 situations with runners in scoring position.  Guy Garibay drove in the only Rice run.

SATURDAY | Southern Miss 10 – Rice 1

Roel Garcia battled through five innings on Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits. Southern Miss just kept putting the ball in play whereas the Rice bats did not hold up their side of the bargain. While Garcia labored, the Rice offense was silent, collecting just two hits while he was on the mound.

Trailing 5-0 at the time of Garcia’s exit, the bullpen quickly allowed the lead to double over the next three innings in what felt like a carbon copy of the previous evening’s blowout loss.

SUNDAY | Southern Miss 8 – Rice 1

Garibay drew the start on Sunday and after sending the first three Golden Eagles down in the first inning, ran into trouble in the second. Southern Miss struck for four runs in the frame, adding two more in the third and forcing Garibay to exit in favor of Brogdon, who navigated 4.2 innings reasonably well, striking out five and allowing two runs.

A leadoff home run from Austin Bulman in the second was all the offense could muster. Their six hits were the fewest in any game of the series.

ON DECK | Rice baseball vs UAB (Fri-Sun, four games).

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Rice Baseball 2021: Owls manage series split vs UTSA in rematch

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Rice baseball started strong, riding two early wins to a series split against UTSA in a rematch of a previous meeting this season.

THREE FOR THE ROAD | Rice baseball splits series 2-2

1. Split shows signs of progress

Rice baseball has yet to win a weekend series against a conference opponent. Coming into this weekend, they hadn’t managed a split either. So by taking the first two games against the Roadrunners, tangible signs of progress were produced. When Rice puts together a complete game from all phases — not even necessarily a dominant showing by any group — this team can win.

At the same time, the failure to come close in either of the final two games left some well-deserved frustrations. Both things can be true. Not winning the series was a missed opportunity, especially when Rice had the luxury of throwing Roel Garcia in the finale. That should have been advantage, Owls.

2. The bullpen issues linger

Four times in four games, Rice gave up four or more runs in a single inning. The only game they avoided a crooked number, Game 2, they won. As for the rest of the series, they lost two of three when surrendering a big inning. Those bullpen blowups have hampered this team tremendously. Individual arms have flashed one weekend and failed the next.

That makes it hard for head coach Matt Bragga to know what buttons to press. Now he’s forced to ask himself not only “can this guy get the job done?” but also “is he going to be locked in today or not?”. Bragga would probably own up to being a bit too slow to use the hook, but it’s a two-way street with both sides showing weaknesses.

3. Fielding isn’t doing the Owls any favors

The bullpen hasn’t been perfect, but their struggles don’t fall solely on the guys on the mound. Errors were costly to Rice this weekend, and they’ve cropped up more than a few times for Rice over the last few weeks. In conference play, Rice sports a .966 fielding percentage, ninth in Conference USA.

The Owls committed no errors in either of their wins against UTSA this weekend. They committed two errors in each of their losses, including errors in those crucial blowup innings. When looked at another way, Rice allowed seven unearned runs in the final two games. That’s not going to cut it.

THE PLAY BY PLAY

FRIDAY | Rice 8 – UTSA 6

Following a lengthy lightning delay, the Owls got things started off on the right foot with three runs in the first two innings, two of which came with two outs. That spotted Micah Davis, who threw the first two innings in place of Garcia, given the unexpected and extended delay. Davis gave was to a bullpen day, which, apart from a woeful outing by Drake Greenwood, kept Rice right in the mix.

Tied up at six apiece entering the bottom half of the fifth inning, Bragga turned to Brandon Deskins. He struck out eight in the final five frames, allowing just four hits and no runs. That gave the offense enough opportunities to break through, which they did in the sixth courtesy of a pair of RBI groundouts from Braden Comeaux and Bradley Gneiting to put Rice ahead for good.

SATURDAY 1 | Rice 5 – UTSA 4

Starter Mitchell Holcomb allowed some contact and a quarter of one-run innings, but his workmanlike efforts prevented UTSA from every compiling a big inning in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader. While Holcomb held things close, the Rice offense did their best to chip away.

Trailing 4-3 entering the sixth, freshman Nathan Becker homered to tie things up. Then, in the seventh and final inning, a sac fly from Guy Garibay, who step onto the mound for his fourth save in the bottom half of the inning, gave Rice the win.

SATURDAY 2 | UTSA 12 – Rice – 6

Cade Edwards scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to give Rice an early lead. The Owls hung a five-spot in the third with big RBI extra-base hits from Garibay and Will Karp. But none of it would prove to be enough to overcome what has become a much-too-frequent disaster inning from the Rice pitching staff.

Matthew Linskey, who’d faired well as an opener in previous outings, failed to record an out to start the game. He walked two batters and hit a pair, the second of which drove in the tying run. He was lifted for Garrett Zaskoda, but the next man up wasn’t able to quell the trouble. Zaskoda would be removed in favor of Josh Larzabal before the inning was through. Nine runs later, the inning ended and this one was essentially over.

SUNDAY | UTSA 12 – Rice 4

Things set up well for Rice entering the final game of the weekend. With Garcia on the mound after Friday’s weather, the Owls were able to hold UTSA scoreless through the fourth inning. Up 1-0 courtesy of an Austin Bulman RBI single in the fourth, Rice was unable to finish.

An error and two singles loaded the bases for UTSA in the fifth. Blake Brogdon entered and wasn’t at his best. He allowed a RBI double and a three-run home run, turning a tight game into a one-sided affair. Rice would close the gap to 7-4 in the eighth, before Brogdon ran into more trouble and UTSA piled on a few additional insurance runs.

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

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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. Garrett 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 rally to walk off Incarnate Word in extras

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Rice baseball came from behind to beat Incarnate Word on Tuesday night, courtesy of a walk-off home run from Braden Comeaux.

Weekend pitching woes followed Rice baseball into one of their rare midweek games of the 2021 season. Their opponent, Incarnate Word, came out swinging, piling on 10 runs in their first three innings. Trailing 10-3 midway through the third, Rice pitching had been shelled for 43 runs in its last 18 innings, rolling up to a collective ERA north of 20. The situation was dire.

Stunned, but not stumped, Rice slowly began the process of digging out of the chasm. The Owls scratched across two runs in the home half of the third, two more in the fourth and another pair in the fifth. By the time the sixth inning rolled around, a blowout had turned into a contested game.

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Rice went three-up, three-down in the seventh and stranded the basis loaded in the eighth. Trailing by three as they entered the ninth, the bats delivered. A double from Cade Edwards cut the deficit to one before Guy Garibay evened the score with a single up the middle.

Once trailing by seven runs, the Owls could sense the momentum had flipped. Rice put two men on in the 10th, setting the table for senior Braden Comeaux who came through. He walloped the ball over the left field fence, putting the exclamation point on the come-from-behind win.

What it means

The pitching staff is going to face a lot of scrutiny in the coming days, but there is something to be said for the quintet of Alex DeLeon, Dalton Wood, Guy Garibary, Micah Davis and Josh Larzabal who limited Incarnate Word to one run in their final six innings. They provided some much-needed good news on that front.

That said, if there were ever a must-win midweek game in April, this was probably it. In the thick of the toughest part of their schedule, snapping a losing streak in thrilling fashion was exactly what the doctor ordered.

ON DECK | Old Dominions

Rice baseball will hit the road this coming weekend to take on Old Dominion, ending a five-game homestand. This is the Owls’ second C-USA road series of the season. The Owls had previously played at Middle Tennessee in early April.

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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 Garrett 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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