13 runs apiece pave way into finals for Rice, UH
BILOXI, Miss. — The same lineup that fostered Rice’s turnaround is the same one flexing its muscle at the Conference USA baseball tournament.
Rice run-ruled Florida Atlantic in a 13-2 win Saturday, clinching a spot in the conference tournament title game against Southern Mississippi, which twice beat Charlotte to reach the final.
Rice (30-29) started the season 6-17, did enough work during the regular season for a No. 6 seed in the conference tournament and is 17-4 in its last 21 games to climb over .500 for the first time since it began the season 1-0.
Rice turned in those 13 runs Saturday on 13 hits with no errors.
Dane Myers had the best day at the plate for the Owls, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs, three runs and a two-run homer.
Tristan Gray walloped a two-run homer in the third inning. He was 2-for-3 with two runs.
Darryn Sheppard added an RBI single in the fourth inning and RBI fielder’s choice in the fifth.
Charlie Warren, Ryan Chandler and Dominic DiCaprio each chipped in an RBI for Rice.
As potent as the offense was, it didn’t overshadow starter Willy Amador’s efforts on the mound. He gave up two earned runs and six hits with a walk in six innings.
Kendal Jefferies closed it out.
In what would be one of the more remarkable turnarounds in program history, Rice can clinch a 23rd consecutive NCAA regional berth on Sunday with a victory. UH 13, CONNECTICUT 3
Trey Cumbie allowed two hits over seven innings, and the Cougars booked a fourth consecutive trip to the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game with a 10-run victory over the Huskies.
Houston (39-19) advances to play East Carolina (32-27), which defeated Central Florida 4-0 on Saturday, in Sunday’s title game in Clearwater, Fla.
With a victory Sunday, the Cougars could be in position to land one of 16 regional host sites for the NCAA Tournament.
Cumbie (10-1) struck out seven and was never in trouble, limiting Connecticut to a double in the fifth and single in the sixth. The lefthander became just the fourth UH pitcher to win 10 games in a season in the past 17 years.
Corey Julks homered and drove in four runs and Connor Hollis added three RBIs for the Cougars, who beat the Huskies (33-25) for the fourth time in five meetings this season.
UH erupted for five runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run homer by Julks. Hollis and Jake Scheiner added run-scoring hits.
Lael Lockhart added a two-run single in the seventh.
The Cougars added five more runs in the fifth.
UConn finally broke through with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, two coming on an error and passed ball.
The bottom of the UH order — Jared Triolo, Lockhart and Tyler Bielamowicz — was 6-for12 with three RBIs. BIG 12
Michael Cantu homered and had three RBIs as sixth-seeded Texas advanced to the Big 12 Conference tournament championship game with a 9-3 win over TCU on Saturday night in Oklahoma City.
The win for the Longhorns (37-21) comes after they had lost 9-2 earlier in the day to the secondseeded Horned Frogs (4216), and it sends Texas into a championship matchup with eighth-seeded Oklahoma State on Sunday.
Cantu finished 3-for-5, including his three-run homer in the fifth inning, while four other Longhorns had two hits apiece. Blair Henley (4-4) allowed only two unearned runs in six innings to earn the win, and Chase Shugart pitched the final three innings for his third save.
Texas led 3-0 after the first inning, and TCU starter Haylen Green (2-1) took the loss after allowing three runs in two innings.
Earlier in the day, Garrett McCain hit the gamewinning single in the top of the 10th inning as Oklahoma State advanced to the championship game with a 4-3 win over West Virginia.
McCain finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs for the Cowboys (29-25), who reached last season’s College World Series.
McCain gave Oklahoma State a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning with his three-run double to left field. After the Mountaineers (34-24) tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom on the ninth on a single by Jimmy Galusky, McCain once again put the Cowboys ahead in top of the 10th — this time for good.