Tuesday Sports Update : Fazio gets Rice win over Sam Houston State
With eight wins in its last nine games, the baseball team is on a roll. Tonight marked the start of a six-game homestand, and the Owls (8-5) kicked it off with a bang, quickly disposing of Sam Houston State University 8-1. Rice was efficient both in time and in scoring, besting the Bearkats (3-10) with nine hits and eight runs in just over two hours.Redshirt freshman Anthony Fazio (1-1) got the ball for ninth-ranked Rice for his second start of the year and picked up his first career win. Entering tonight's game, Fazio had previously forfeited five earned runs over 0.2 innings in three appearances, including a shaky first start against Lamar University Feb. 24.
But tonight Fazio put the pieces together and gave up only one run and three hits over 5.2 innings with four strikeouts.
Head Coach Wayne Graham attributes his quick turnaround partly to the simple passage of time.
"I think he just settled down a little bit," Graham said. "We did some work on the side with him, got his breaking ball back and his mechanics a little better. He's got a good arm. It's hard to come back after not pitching for a long time and do well.You've got to get accommodated again."
The support of a strong defense, particularly on the right side of the infield, surely helped with Fazio's accommodation factor. Freshman second baseman Michael Ratterree and senior first baseman Jimmy Comerota teamed up several times and saved would-be hits with their swift glove work.
On the offensive side of the ball, Rice broke open the scoring in the second and never looked back. The Owls picked up five runs in that frame, thanks to back-to-back doubles by sophomore catcher Craig Manuel and senior center fielder Steven Sultzbaugh. Ratterree also contributed offensively with an RBI single of his own.
Then in the fifth, two extra-base hits led to two more runs for the home team. Junior right fielder Chad Mozingo doubled, and junior shortstop Rick Hague hit one over the fence in right-center to become the fifth Owl with at least two home runs this season.
Rice continues its homestand with a four-game series against California. First pitch is slated for Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
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