HOUSTON — Rick Hague’s bloop RBI single with one out in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference as No. 9 Rice outlasted Texas Tech, 3-2, on Saturday at the Houston College Classic.

It is the 13th straight victory by the Owls (6-5) over the Red Raiders (7-4), who have dropped two straight games for the first time this season. The Red Raiders have not beaten the Owls since April of 1996.

“That’s a tough game to lose,” head coach Dan Spencer said. “We didn’t get a lot of hits. We had some opportunities because I thought we were patient with their (starting pitcher) and got some walks and had some runners on base. Offensively we were average at best, but we really pitched well.”

Tech will try to avoid going winless in the tournament today at 2:30 p.m. against Houston, which has beaten Missouri and Texas the past two days.

Trailing 2-0, Tech tied the game in the seventh when senior outfielder Bonham Hough crushed a two-run home run to left after senior outfielder Taylor Ashby drew a two-out walk. The Red Raiders then put the go-ahead run at third with less than one out when senior shorstop Joey Kenworthy walked, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch.

But Rice reliever Craig Manuel rallied to end the threat by striking out sophomore designated hitter Scott LeJeune and getting junior catcher Jeremy Mayo to pop up to end the inning. Rice then got the go-ahead run in the ninth against Tech closer Jay Johnson (0-2). The junior left-hander gave up a leadoff walk to Jeremy Rathjen and hit Anthony Rendon. Chad Mozingo then hit into a fielder’s choice that erased Rendon and kept the double play in order, but Hague fisted an inside pitch from Johnson just over the infield into shallow left to score Rathjen.

The loss wasted another solid performance by Tech starter Bobby Doran, who took his third straight no-decision in as many starts.

Doran tossed seven innings, scattering two runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out five.

“I pitched well enough to get a no-decision. It kind of sucks looking back on it, but that’s fine,” Doran said. “I’m not worried about the offense. They did their job and they’re going out there and trying their best to
give us some runs.”

He was matched by Rice starter Tony Cingrani, who left after giving up the Hough homer. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Tech finished with just two hits on the night, the other coming on a two-out single by junior third baseman Nick Popescu in the second inning.

“We gave ourselves some opportunities to maybe lose some battles early but win the war in the end, and we just didn’t finish it outside of Bonham really jumping on a ball and really getting us going, getting us even,” Spencer said. “It came down to giving them a couple of free bases in the ninth and a bloop single makes us pay.”

RICE 3, TEXAS TECH 2
RICE TEXAS TECH
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Ratterree 2b 3 0 0 0 Reed lf 4 0 0 0
Fuda lf 4 1 1 0 Kenworthy ss 3 0 0 0
Rathjen dh 3 1 1 1 Barnes 1b 3 0 0 0
Rendon 3b 3 1 2 1 LeJeune dh 4 0 0 0
Mozingo rf 4 0 1 0 Mayo c 4 0 0 0
Hague ss 4 0 2 1 Popescu 3b/2b 3 0 1 0
Sultzbaugh cf 4 0 1 0 Ashby cf 3 1 0 0
Gonzales 1b 2 0 0 0 Hough rf 4 1 1 2
Comerota 1b 0 0 0 0 Totten 2b 2 0 0 0
Perrott c 2 0 1 0 Hagen ph 0 0 0 0
McDowell ph 1 0 0 0 Berry 3b 0 0 0 0
Manuel c 0 0 0 0
Totals 30 3 9 3 Totals 30 2 2 2
Rice 010 100 001 — 3 9 1
Texas Tech 000 000 200 — 2 2 0
E — Ratterree (1). DP—Texas Tech 4. LOB—Rice 4, Texas Tech 6. HR—Rendon (2), Hough (1). SH—Comerota 91). SB—Fuda (1), Kenworthy (2), Barnes (3).
ip h r er bb so
Rice
Cingrani 62/3 2 2 2 3 4
Reckling (W, 1-0) 11/3 0 0 0 1 2
Duffey (S, 1) 1 0 0 0 0 1
Texas Tech
Doran 7 7 2 2 0 5
Bruening 1/3 1 0 0 0 0
Johnson (L, 0-2) 12/3 1 1 1 2 2
WP—Reckling (1), Johnson (1). HBP—by Reckling (Hagen), by Johnson (Rendon). BK—Cingrani (2). U—Oros, Moreno, Rogers. T—2:41. A—9.817. Records: Rice 6-5, Texas Tech 7-4.