Southern Miss
Rice
Baseball Drops Close Game With No. 7 Rice, 4-3
3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 20, 2009
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - No. 7 Rice scored the eventual game winning run in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Southern Miss 4-3 in front to 3,253 fans at Pete Taylor Park Friday evening.
"I think our inexperience showed again tonight, we had some great chances but could not capitalize," head coach Corky Palmer said. "We have won games like this for so long at home and I am disappointed we could not pull this one out."
Junior JR Ballinger was outstanding in his first Conference USA start working 6.2 innings allowing three hits while striking out five and walking two. He retired the first 10 hitters of the game and allowed only three base runners through six innings.
Corey Stevens led the Southern Miss offense who out-hit the Owls seven-to-five. Stevens was two-for-three with two-RBI on the night. Taylor Walker and Bo Davis both had hits to extend their hitting streaks as well. Walker tripled in the bottom of the third to reach 16 games and Davis singled in the bottom of the fourth to reach 12 games, which is every game he has played in this season.
Brian Dozier failed to record a hit for the first time this season, ending his season long streak at 18.
Southern Miss (12-7, 0-1 CUSA) scored the games first runs in the bottom of the sixth as Jared Rogers walked Kameron Brunty, Brian Dozier and Do Davis to load the bases before Corey Stevens delivered a two-RBI single to center field to score Brunty and Dozier and out Southern Miss on top 2-0.
Rice (13-5, 1-0 CUSA) tied the game in the top of the seventh as Diego Seastruck and Craig Manuel drew walks and Steven Sultzbaugh hit a two RBI double to centerfield to end the day for JR Ballinger.
Sultzbaugh came around to score and give Rice the lead on a RBI single by Jeremy Rathjen off new Golden Eagle pitcher Wade Weathers to make the score 3-2.
Southern Miss answered right back in the bottom of the seventh as Tyler Koelling led off with triple to centerfield to end the day for Rice reliever Andrew Benak. Travis Graves greeted new Rice reliever Matt Evers with an RBI single on the first pitch he saw to tie the game at three.
Rice scored the eventual Winning run in the top of the ninth as Rick Hague was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a two-out wild pitch by Collin Cargill to give the Owls a 4-3 advantage.
The two teams will return to action tomorrow with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. at Pete Taylor Park.
-southernmiss.com-
