Owls' opening weekend dampened by Cardinal rule

By Ryan Glassman     2/25/10 6:00pm

Head Coach Wayne Graham took his team out to Stanford University last weekend in hopes of presenting his squad with a good early-season challenge. But after a disappointing sweep at the hands of the Cardinal (4- 0) and a 13-7 loss to a mediocre Lamar University team, Graham is suddenly the one facing a number of challenges. Following a weekend of poor starting pitching, inconsistent offense and shaky defense, the Owls (0-4) are off to their worst start since 2000. The Owls' season opener started with a bang, but the success for Rice was short-lived. In the first at-bat of the season, freshman second baseman Mike Ratterree drove a 3-1 offering over the left field fence, giving the Owls the early 1-0 lead.

But sophomore Taylor Wall (0-1, 9.0 ERA), the starting pitcher and ace of the staff, struggled to find the strike zone and lasted just three innings in his first opening, surrendering three runs on four hits and two walks.

Sophomore Matthew Reckling pitched three shutout innings in relief but was unable to work through the seventh after giving up a solo home run and a pair of singles. Stanford blew the inning open for three more runs, taking a 6-2 lead and holding on for the 6-4 victory in the season opener.

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Graham handed the ball to senior right-hander Jared Rogers on Saturday afternoon, hoping to get Rice in the win column, but the coach found results similar to the night before. Rogers was unable to get out of the fourth inning unscathed, allowing two earned runs on a walk and five hits. Rice trailed 2-1 entering the seventh inning, when a base hit by junior rightfielder Chad Mozingo and a walk by senior first-baseman Jimmy Comerota set the plate for Ratterree's three-run home run, the freshman's second round-tripper in as many games.

But once again, the lead would not last for the Owls, as the team fell apart at the seams in the bottom of the seventh. Five Rice relievers combined to give up a total of 11 runs on nine hits and three walks before the inning was over. The Rice defense was no more impressive in the inning, making three errors in the frame to put the game well out of reach.

With a 14-5 victory in its pocket, Stanford entered the final game with a sweep on its mind. Due to a threat of inclement weather on Sunday, the series finale was moved ahead to Saturday evening. But the change in starting time brought the same fortune for the Owls, this time in heartbreaking fashion.

Trailing 5-1 in the top of the sixth, Rice loaded the bases with the heart of the order coming up. Sophomore leftfielder Michael Fuda walked with one out, bringing in a run and keeping the bases full. After senior shortstop Rick Hague, Jr. struck out, sophomore third baseman Anthony Rendon walked in another run and senior centerfielder Steven Sultzbaugh singled to left, cutting the Stanford lead to 5-4. Seastrunk flied out to end the inning.

The Owls clawed back in the eighth, tying the game at five on a two-out RBI single by senior Diego Seastrunk. With the game tied in the top of the ninth, Fuda's clutch triple with two outs brought in Comerota from first to give Rice the late advantage.

But continuing with the theme of the weekend, the joy would not last long for the Owls. After retiring the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth, junior reliever Abel Gonzales hit the next batter with a pitch and gave up a single before a towering hit off the right field wall brought in two runs and gave Stanford the sweep in walk-off fashion.

On the receiving end of a three-game sweep, Rice found itself in an unfamiliar position. But Rice is a program that traditionally begins in slow fashion - last year, the Owls began the season with a loss in their first game - and the homestand began with another notch in the loss column for the Owls, as the baseball team fell to Lamar (4-0) 13-7. Rice's freshman starting pitcher, Anthony Fazio, lasted just one-third of an inning, allowing four runs on three hits. Despite production by Rice's bats - including Seastrunk's home run and designated hitter Chase McDowell's three RBIs - the team's effort was not enough to counteract the 13 runs let in by Rice's arms.

The Owls' rough start must serve as a wake-up call for its talented roster. Although the offense and defense were passable on the week, the pitching is the area that must step up to get the Owls back on track.

"We didn't have much good pitching," Graham said. "The pitching was poor. We didn't get a decent start from the three starters, not one decent start [against Stanford]. We've got a lot of work to do."

Graham spent the fall emphasizing the importance of having control and throwing strikes, but his words did not resonate with his staff this weekend. Walks and hit batsmen doomed the Owls against their opponents, leading to a number of rallies and putting the team in holes that they were unable to dig themselves out of.

Players did not take results from the week's play any easier than their coach did, expressing disappointment and frustration with the team's play.

"It hurts coming in the opening weekend and getting swept," Fuda said. "I'm not used to it. It's not a good feeling."

Today at 4:30 p.m. at Reckling Park the Owls take on Elon University in search of their first 2010 win. Elon enters the game 4-0, but Rice will be the Phoenix's first- ranked opponent.

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