Tuesday's Sports Update: Owls unable to clinch win over Aggies

By Meghan Hall     4/9/09 7:00pm

Pitching and hitting woes plagued the Owls Tuesday night, and under the watchful eye of former president George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara, the second-ranked Owls fell 7-3 to unranked Texas A&M.Sophomore Travis Wright got the ball for the 25-9 Owls and only lasted one inning, giving up one run on two hits. Rice immediately got that one back in the bottom of the frame, when a double by freshman third baseman Anthony Rendon scored Holt. Both players finished the night with a team-high three hits.

The Aggies, who lost 9-2 last week to Houston, scored two in the third off sophomore Matt Evers and then two more in the sixth off freshman Matthew Reckling. Going into the bottom of the sixth, Rice was trailing 5-1. Sophomore shortstop Rick Hague led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second on a groundout and made his way home by way of balks by A&M freshman pitcher Ross Stripling.

Rendon reached base on a bloop single to short right field before freshman Ryan Lewis came off the bench and delivered a ground-rule double into the right field corner. With two runners on and two out, junior first baseman Jimmy Comerota struck out to end the rally.

---

---

More action ensued for Rice in the seventh, when a walk by freshman designated hitter Craig Manuel, a fielder's choice by junior center fielder Steven Sultzbaugh and a single by Holt put runners on the corners for Hague. A wild pitch then scored Sultzbaugh and decreased A&M's margin to two. Hague walked, but a strikeout by sophomore right fielder Chad Mozingo and a popup by Rendon ended the threat.

The A&M offense added two more in the top of the ninth on a home run by first baseman Luke Anders for a final score of 7-3.

Troubling numbers for the Owls on the offensive side pointed to 14 strikeouts and only four walks. However, the defense did turn a season-high five double plays.

"We didn't do a real good job at hitting, we chased pitches, but still they had real good stuff on the ball," coach Wayne Graham said. "It's just some nights you're not going to have it."

The Owls' Wednesday night game against University of Texas-San Antonio was cancelled, so Rice takes the field again Friday night to open a conference game against Marshall.

---