Sports notebook: Baseball beats Bobcats in fall ball exhibition

By Meghan Hall     10/29/09 7:00pm

Rice fans were granted a respite from this fall's poor performances in both football and soccer when the baseball team took the field at Reckling Park last Sunday. This year, the team's fall schedule was cut to one game, so the exhibition against Texas State University was fans' only chance to catch a glimpse of the Owls until the Feb. 19 season opener at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Although the look was limited, it was certainly promising, as Rice came out on top 14-6 in the 14-inning exhibition against the Bobcats. Sophomore southpaw Taylor Wall, who enjoyed a weekend starting job as a freshman last year and will presumably receive the same role next spring, took the hill and allowed two hits and one run over the first two innings.

He was followed by senior Jared Rogers, who tossed two scoreless innings and picked up the win. Other pitchers who saw time were two transfers: juniors Tony Cingrani and Boogie Anagnostou; three freshmen: Tyler Duffey, Chase McDowell and J.T. Chargois; and one veteran, junior Doug Simmons. Duffey and Chargois each gave up one run in two innings, while McDowell threw a scoreless frame.

The goal for Head Coach Wayne Graham was to see as many players in the game as possible, evidenced by the use of 17 different players during the contest. Sophomore rightfielder Jeremy Rathjen led the way with three hits and one RBI, while sophomore Daniel Gonzales-Luna and senior outfielder Steven Sultzbaugh had two hits apiece.

---

---

Sultzbaugh's biggest hit was a three-run homer over the fence in left field, part of a crooked-number third inning that put the Bobcats away for good and kicked off eight consecutive innings of scoring for Rice. The third began with four consecutive walks, followed by a single from senior catcher Diego Seastrunk in which he tallied two of his three RBIs for the day. Next came Sultzbaugh's home run, the cherry on top of Rice's six runs, and an offensive outburst that bodes well for next spring.

The next 11 innings saw the Owls bring across eight more runs, putting away the Bobcats in impressive and promising fashion.

Freshman second baseman Michael Ratterree, a highly-touted recruit from Memorial High School, started at second base and finished 1-6 in eight innings. Two other freshmen with ticks in the hit column were Tyler Spurlin, from The Woodlands High School, and McDowell, from A&M Consolidated High School.

Despite struggling at the plate, Ratterree's defense flashed for the fans, highlighting one of the strengths for a squad that was tied for first with East Carolina University in fielding percentage in Conference USA last year. The lone error came from Jimmy Comerota, the oft-flawless senior first baseman whose three errors in 2009 were the fewest of any of the starting infielders.

---