Baseball falls to third
Rice vs. UAB: 1-2
The Rice University baseball team headed on the road this past week to face longtime rival and No. 1 nationally ranked Texas A&M University and Conference USA foe, the University of Alabama, Birmingham. The Owls finished 1-3 this week despite jumping out to early leads in three of the four contests. With their lone win coming on Sunday afternoon’s contest at UAB, Rice’s record is now 23-15 (12-6 in C-USA play).
In the series opener on Friday night against UAB, the starting pitchers for each squad got out to a strong start. Rice junior Kevin McCanna and UAB junior James Naile allowed zero runners to reach base through the first three innings. In the fourth inning, Rice loaded the bases following three walks but was unable to score any runs. In the bottom half of the inning, UAB scored one run after an RBI single to take the 1-0 advantage. McCanna went on to throw 7.0 innings on the night allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out six batters. On the opposite side, Naile stifled the Rice lineup for 7.0 innings, and Rice did not register their first hit until two outs in the eighth. The final score was 4-0 in favor of UAB.
In Saturday’s matchup, the Rice hitters went to work quickly by scoring two runs in the top of the first on a two-out two-RBI double by junior first baseman Connor Teykl. After a 1-2-3 first inning by Rice junior starter Jordan Stephens, UAB scored six runs in the bottom of the second with a three-run double by senior leadoff hitter Nathan Vincent. Trailing 6-2, Rice responded with two more runs of their own in the top half of the fourth on a single by freshman Ryan Chandler. The UAB offense tacked on eight more runs in the fifth inning to open up a 14-4 advantage. The duo of Stephens and redshirt junior reliever Matt Ditman were tagged for 13 of those runs and two home runs. The remainder of the game saw no further scoring as UAB clinched the series with a 14-4 victory.
To avoid the weekend sweep, the Owls needed a strong performance both offensively and defensively. Rice junior starter Blake Fox would have plenty of support on the afternoon as Rice scored seven runs in the top of the first inning. UAB’s starter registered just two outs before he was removed from the ballgame as Rice sent 12 men to the plate in the inning. Senior second baseman Ford Stainback, sophomore Charlie Warren and Teykl each had two RBIs in the inning. Senior catcher John Clay Reeves led off the second inning with a solo home run to center field. He would follow that up with a three-run home run in the third inning off the UAB scoreboard to put Rice up 11-0. On the mound, Fox went 6.0 innings, allowing just five hits and one run to quiet the UAB offense. Rice won by a final score of 13-5.
Rice Assistant Coach and Hitting Coach Clay Van Hook talked about the up-and-down season thus far. He said he looks for his team to be more consistent down the stretch.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of ups and downs but that’s a baseball season,” Van Hook said. “We still [have] four weekends left and we hold our own fate. We have been doing a lot of things well; we just need to be more consistent and [there is] definitely a lot of season left.”
The Owls face the University of Texas, San Antonio this upcoming weekend at home. Van Hook said the team is talented, especially with their Friday night starter.
“They are a very well coached team, and Coach Marshall over there does a really good job with his guys,” Van Hook said. “They have a really good Friday night starter in Brock Hartson. … You know he’s a guy that’s going to get drafted. … So we [have] to come out ready to play on Friday for sure.”
Since starting conference play with an undefeated record of 6-0, the Owls have gone 6-6 over their last 12. Reeves said sitting in third place in C-USA is an unfamiliar spot for the Owls.
“These past couple of weeks we know we haven’t been playing exactly the best baseball,” Reeves said. “At this time you can either choose to fold and crumble or come out and play like we did on Sunday. I know as long as we start playing for each other and put everything together things can definitely turn around for us.”
Reeves noted that some UAB fans brought brooms to the ballpark in preparation for the weekend “sweep.” He said he feels the team stepped up in a big way to get the crucial win in a big fashion.
“Since I’ve been here I know we have never been swept in a weekend series, and coming to the field early seeing their fans with some brooms really made us realize that we need[ed] to step up and quiet them down with the way they were thinking,” Reeves said.
The Owls will face the University of Texas, San Antonio this upcoming weekend at Reckling Park. Rice has done well at their home park with 15 of their 23 wins coming at home. First pitch is scheduled for Friday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m.
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