Friday's Sports Update: Owls fall to Tigers thanks to defensive blunders
Although Rice outdid Memphis in the hit column-17 to 14-the Owls fell short to the Tigers, dropping the first game of a three-game conference series 10-7 Friday evening at Reckling.Trouble started early for the 15-7 Owls, currently ranked second by Rivals.com and fourth by Baseball America. The Tigers scored two runs in each of the first three innings, while the Owls were only able to put up single digits.
Two RBI singles by juniors Diego Seastrunk and Jimmy Comerota led to two Rice runs through the first two innings, and then sophomore Chad Mozingo hit an RBI double for a run in the third. To cap off the Owls' early scoring, junior Brock Holt hit a solo shot in the fourth. Freshman phenom Anthony Rendon also contributed an RBI single in the sixth.
Solid hitting with runners on base led to Memphis' first six runs. They then switched to small ball in the sixth and seventh, scoring runs on a bunt and a sacrifice fly. In the eighth, a double, two singles and a Rice error-the Owls' third of the night-resulted in two more Tiger runs.
The Owls got one back in the bottom of the eighth, when Holt led off the inning with a single and later scored on Rendon's sacrifice fly. Rice did get something going in the bottom of the ninth when, with two outs, pinch-hitter Daniel Gonzales-Luna doubled to left field and scored on a single by junior Steven Sultzbaugh, but that was the end of Owl scoring.
Pitching for Rice was inconsistent: they needed six pitchers to get through the game. Junior Jared Rogers, who started the game, only lasted 1.1 innings and gave up four runs, three of them earned.
Rogers was followed by sophomore Abe Gonzales, junior Mark Haynes, freshman Andrew Benak, sophomore Matt Evers, and sophomore Travis Wright, all of whom had rather unspectacular outings. Wright, however, did finish the last 1.1 innings of the game with no hits and three strikeouts.
Offensively, Holt finished 3-6, and Seastrunk was 3-5. Sophomore Rick Hague, Rendon, Mozingo, and sophomore Michael Fuda each had two hits. The Owls take on Memphis again tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Reckling.
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