May 2, 2009

Box Score | Highlights

HOUSTON -- With the drama-level sky-high, Rice sophomore Michael Fuda hit a two-out RBI single through the left side of the infield to break a 5-5 deadlock with Houston in the top of the ninth inning of Saturday night's second game of the three-game Conference USA series at Cougar Field. Rice's offensive rally, however, proved to be only half the drama. The Owls then worked out of bases-load, no-outs, jam in the bottom of the ninth to hold on for a 7-5 victory over their crosstown rival.

With the win Rice tied the C-USA weekend series 1-1 heading into Sunday's rubber game. First place in the conference standings will be on the line when the teams meet in the 1 pm series finale.

What is no longer on the line is the Silver Glove Trophy as the city's collegiate champion. With the 9-2 win over the Cougars on Feb. 25 and the 8-1 victory on Mar. 18, Rice has won three of the five regular season games between the longtime foes to keep possession of the Silver Glove Trophy for the ninth year in a row. The Owls have won 11 of the 12 series with Houston since play for the Silver Glove Trophy officially began in 1998.

The Blue & Gray scored early in the contest to give starting pitcher Ryan Berry some support. In the top of the third, Brock Holt stroked a one-out triple off the wall in right-center field and Chad Mozingo followed with an RBI single through the right side for a 1-0 lead. Mozingo stole second to move into scoring position and came home on Rick Hague's RBI single to left-center to make it a 2-0 game.

The Owls doubled the score in the next inning. Fuda led off with a double to left-center and a base hit by Craig Manuel put runners on the corners. Fuda dashed home on Jimmy Comerota's RBI fielder's choice. Steven Sultzbaugh drew a walk and another fielder's choice again put runners on the corners. Mozingo singled to right field to score Comerota and the Owls were in control 4-0.

Houston came back with an unearned run in its half of the fourth. Chase Dempsay doubled to start it off and a single by Caleb Ramsey put runners first and third. A failed pick-off at first base got away and allowed Dempsay to trot home and make the score 4-1.

The Cougars then added a run in the bottom of the sixth. Ramsey singled and took second on a wild pitch. William Kankel drove him home with a double to center field that cut the lead back down to two, 4-2. UH was looking for more runs, but Holt made a sensational leaping grab of a high line drive to end the inning.

Rice turned the emotional lift from Holt's catch into a run in the top of the seventh. Freshman Anthony Rendon led off with a long solo home run to center field that made it 5-2. The blast was Rendon's team-leading 14th round-tripper of the year and moved him onto sole possession of second place on the school's all-time list for home runs by an Owl freshman. He passed Rice great and former major leaguer Jose Cruz Jr., who had 13 homers in his freshman year of 1993.

Houston kept fighting and scored two in the bottom of the seventh. Taylor White walked and Kelso singled. White scored on a ground out to the right side and a double by Dempsay brought home Kelso to cut it to one, 5-4. UH then tied the game in the eighth. Kankel drew a two-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tom Wertz entered the game as a pinch runner and scored on David Murphy's single to left. It was a new game at 5-5.

Mozingo wrapped a double to right to start the ninth. UH was looking to set up a possible double play when electing to intentionally walk Rendon with one away. The Cougars were almost out of harm's-way with a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but that brought the hot-hitting Fuda to the plate. The sophomore from Katy, Tex., was already 2-for-4 on the night and has been hitting at a .426 pace in C-USA games when he came to the plate.

Fuda punched a 1-2 pitch through the left side to give Rice a 6-5 lead. The Owls, however weren't finished. Manuel singled up the middle to score Rendon for a little insurance, 7-5.

In was tense, but nothing compared to the bottom of the ninth. Rice stopper Jordan Rogers walked each of the first three Cougars he faced, but quickly turned the tide back the Owls' way. With quick reflexes he fielded a come-backer to the mound, flipped to Manuel at the plate for one out, who then fired to Comerota at first to complete the 1-2-3. double play. There were still two men on base when Rice centerfielder Steven Sultzbaugh ran down a long fly to right-center to end the game, 7-5.

Rogers notched his seventh win of the season as Rice improved to 30-11 on the year and a league-leading 12-5 in conference. Houston fell to 22-24 overall and 11-6 in C-USA. The Owls hold a slim lead by percentage points over nationally-ranked East Carolina (34-14, 12-6) in the C-USA standings.

The weekend series with Houston concludes Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm at UH's Cougar Field.