the Rice Thresher

Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Deian Tabakov Cole St. Clair pitched lights out for the first three innings of Rice's contest with Texas last Tuesday, but the fourth proved to be his undoing - the senior was pulled after allowing five earned runs.

The baseball team book-ended the last two weeks with a sweep of the Minute Maid Park College Classic and a 7-3 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi University, but there were a few bumps in the road in between. Not only did No. 15 Rice (9-6) drop two one-run games in a row against Sam Houston State University and Dallas Baptist University on the road, but the Owls were smashed 9-3 by Michigan State University in the opener of the Rice Classic. While the team rebounded with wins over Western Carolina University and Creighton University, the Owls rolled over against the 19th-ranked University of Texas to even the season series at 1-1.

The Owls will look to defend their home field once more this weekend, facing Winthrop University four times in as many days, starting today at 6:30 p.m. The Eagles (3-10) have yet to beat a ranked opponent this year, falling three times to the University of Southern California and once to the University of North Carolina. Before the week is over, the Owls will also take on the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at home at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

These upcoming opponents will be relatively easier than the foes Rice faced two weeks ago at the Minute Maid Park Classic, which the Owls began with a 7-2 thumping over the University of Oklahoma. Freshman outfielder Chad Mozingo continued his blistering start, getting three hits, scoring three runs and tacking on an RBI for good measure. In the top of the eighth, junior catcher Adam Zornes crushed a towering shot that hit the outfield façade above the visitor's bullpen for a solo home run, his second of the season. Sophomore pitcher Ryan Berry went 6.2 innings, allowing just five hits and three walks while racking up eight strikeouts - matching his season-high - for his first win of the season.

The next day, Rice squared off with Texas (10-4) for the first time this season and quickly handed the Longhorns a 10-4 loss. The Owls' fifth victory in a row was marked by 10 runs on 15 hits, three of which found their way over the fence. Senior pitcher Chris Kelley, who was stellar in relief, earned his first win with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

Continued...

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