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Saturday, October 24
Reckling Park
Rice University
vs
McLennan CC
10/24/2026 9:14:00 PM | Baseball
HOUSTON - The Rice baseball team closed the fall exhibition slate with a tie before rallying in game two for a win over McLennan Community College Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park.
McLennan opened the scoring in game one with a trio of runs in the third inning before tacking on a fourth in the top of the sixth inning. Michael Zito got the Rice offense started in the bottom half of the sixth, with a single bringing home Paul Smith.
With two on and two out in the bottom of the seventh, JC Davis evened the score with a three-run shot, scoring Caden Mitchell and Landis Davila to tie the game, with a final out ending game one as a 4-4 tie.
Ethan Sanders threw two shutout innings, with two walks and a strikeout, while Preston Sullivan,Brayden Sharp and Jackson Blank also threw scoreless work in game one.
In game two, McLennan grabbed an early lead with a run in the second inning. It wasn't until the fourth inning that Rice found an answer, with a Zito sacrifice fly bringing home Brandon Creek to even the score.
A pair of Highlander runs in the fifth gave McLennan a 3-1 advantage, but the Owls got one back in the bottom half of the inning as Judson Dowell drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Colin Robson.
Robson later put the Owls ahead in the sixth, with a two-run single bringing in Zachary Daigre and Hiram Bocachica Jr., giving a 4-3 lead to Rice.
Ty Thames closed the door in the seventh as the Owls closed the fall season with the win.
While the exhibition season has ended, the Owls will close out their fall practice schedule next week with a three-game intrasquad World Series, Monday through Wednesday. The series opens at 2:30 on Monday, followed by 4:30 on Tuesday, and then concludes at 2:30 on Wednesday.
Rice opens the 2027 season with a three-game series against the Kansas Jayhawks Feb. 19-21 at Reckling Park.
McLennan opened the scoring in game one with a trio of runs in the third inning before tacking on a fourth in the top of the sixth inning. Michael Zito got the Rice offense started in the bottom half of the sixth, with a single bringing home Paul Smith.
With two on and two out in the bottom of the seventh, JC Davis evened the score with a three-run shot, scoring Caden Mitchell and Landis Davila to tie the game, with a final out ending game one as a 4-4 tie.
Ethan Sanders threw two shutout innings, with two walks and a strikeout, while Preston Sullivan,Brayden Sharp and Jackson Blank also threw scoreless work in game one.
In game two, McLennan grabbed an early lead with a run in the second inning. It wasn't until the fourth inning that Rice found an answer, with a Zito sacrifice fly bringing home Brandon Creek to even the score.
A pair of Highlander runs in the fifth gave McLennan a 3-1 advantage, but the Owls got one back in the bottom half of the inning as Judson Dowell drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Colin Robson.
Robson later put the Owls ahead in the sixth, with a two-run single bringing in Zachary Daigre and Hiram Bocachica Jr., giving a 4-3 lead to Rice.
Ty Thames closed the door in the seventh as the Owls closed the fall season with the win.
While the exhibition season has ended, the Owls will close out their fall practice schedule next week with a three-game intrasquad World Series, Monday through Wednesday. The series opens at 2:30 on Monday, followed by 4:30 on Tuesday, and then concludes at 2:30 on Wednesday.
Rice opens the 2027 season with a three-game series against the Kansas Jayhawks Feb. 19-21 at Reckling Park.
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Players Mentioned
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OF
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OF
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INF
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C
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LHP/OF
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1B/C
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RHP
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RHP
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INF
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