Friday's Sports Update: Owls start strong at Houston Baseball Classic

By Meghan Hall     2/26/09 6:00pm

In Friday's game at Minute Maid Park, the starting second baseman for the home team (number seven) led off the bottom of the first inning with a double that hugged the foul line and rattled in the left field corner.But this team was not the 2007 Astros and the player was not Craig Biggio. Rather, it was junior Brock Holt and the 2009 Rice Owls playing UCLA in the annual Houston College Classic Tournament. Despite getting outhit 14-9, Rice came out on top in the tenth inning.

The Bruins did score first, when sophomore Chris Giovinazzo doubled to center and then scored on an error by junior starting pitcher Mike Ojala.

Then two plays after his double, Holt came around to score on junior Diego Seastrunk's double. He scored a single by sophomore Rick Hague, who then plated Rice's third run on junior Steven Sultzbaugh's double.

---

---

UCLA brought out the small ball in the second inning, when they manufactured a run through a bunt, a stolen base and a hit up the middle.

Defense for Rice was strong, highlighted by Ojala recording seven straight outs by strikeout (of his 11 total K's for the night). Peppered through the middle innings were solid infield double plays, as well as a UCLA hit off the left field scoreboard that freshman Jeremy Rathjen kept to a single.

In the fourth inning with runners on second and third, freshman Anthony Rendon threw a runner out at home on a fielder's choice to save a run. However on the next batter, with an 0-2 count and two outs, senior Eddie Murray scored on a passed ball to tie the game at three.

UCLA threatened in the top of the seventh with a double and an infield single but the Owls held them and the inning ended scoreless with a stranded runner at third. Ojala left the game during the inning, having completed 6.2 innings with two earned runs, and was relieved by sophomore Matt Evers.

Ojala's effort was shaky, with 12 hits and 11 strikeouts. "He's got a great curveball, and they were hitting his fastball," coach Wayne Graham said. "To strike out as many guys as he did and still get hit hard, it's quite unbelievable. He kept us in the game."

There was no scoring until the top of the eighth, when the Bruins manufactured a run that precipitated the exit of Evers, who was replaced by junior Mark Haynes. Rice struck back in the bottom of the inning, when Seastrunk singled and was driven home by a deep double to left-center by Rendon.

Senior Jordan Rogers struck out the side in the ninth, increasing the total number of Rice strikeouts to 15, a new Houston College Classic record. He struck out two more in the tenth.

Rogers, who competed two hitless innings, notched the win for the Owls. "Jordan Rogers was great," Graham said.

The Owls had some life in the bottom of the ninth but could not push a run across. However, in the tenth, Seastrunk walked and was replaced by sophomore Michael Fuda, who advanced to second on a balk. After another walk and a strikeout, Rathjen reached on an error by the second baseman, which allowed Fuda to score.

"I've just got to see the ball and put it in play," Rathjen said. "Put pressure on the defense and try to score the run.This is as fun as it gets, playing at Minute Maid, a big league park, and a win like that, it's awesome.

---