Rain was the big winner this past weekend, as several series had to work its way around the wet stuff. Highlighting the on-the-field action was Rice’s victory in the Silver Glove series.
No. 5 Rice at Houston
Houston posted three runs in the sixth inning against NCBWA Pitcher of the Week Ryan Berry on its way to a 5-2 victory in the Silver Glove series-opener Friday. Joe Savery went 4-for-4 from the plate on Saturday to highlight Rice’s 15-hit performance and Ryne Tracker scattered three hits from the mound as the Owls evened the series with a 12-0 shellacking. Jess Buenger went 4-for-5 to lead the Owls to an 11-6 decision on Sunday.
With consecutive wins over UH on Saturday and Sunday, Rice (29-11, 10-2) claimed the weekend series two-games-to-one and retained possession of the Silver Glove Trophy as the city’s collegiate champion for a seventh-straight year. The Owls have won the annual trophy in nine of the 10 years it has been awarded dating back to 1998. Houston fell to 19-6 overall, 6-3 in C-USA play.
No. 28 Tulane at Southern Miss
Southern Miss scored in the bottom of the first, then saw Tulane plate five unanswered runs as the Green Wave claimed a 7-5 decision in the Friday contest. Torrential rains and tornado warnings cancelled all of Saturday’s EagleFest activities, leading to a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday.
Barry Bowden tossed a complete game as Southern Miss took a 5-2 win in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader. The Green Wave scored seven runs in the top of the first and cruised to a 7-1 series-clinching win in the second game. Tulane moved to 27-11 overall, 8-4 in C-USA; Southern Miss is now 22-15, 4-8 in C-USA.
Tulane recaps
Southern Miss recaps
Memphis at UAB
Visiting Memphis held off a late UAB rally to take a 7-6 win on Friday. Blazer officials set Saturday’s first pitch for 10:30 a.m. in an effort to beat the incoming storms. It didn’t work; the game was suspended after five innings with Memphis holding an 8-4 lead, thanks to an eight-run fourth inning by the Tigers.
The Blazers scored three runs on Sunday in the resumption of Saturday’s game, but Memphis’ eight-run fourth inning on the previous day held up, as the Tigers claimed an 8-7 decision. A 9-4 final in the third game gave the Tigers a sweep of the weekend series. Memphis has won eight of its last nine conference games and stands at 22-14 overall, 8-4 in C-USA. UAB fell to 16-21 overall, 4-5 in league play.
East Carolina at Marshall
In an effort to beat the incoming weather, the ECU-MU schedule was altered; the two teams played a Friday doubleheader. Freshman Kyle Roller hit his first career home run in the eighth inning of the opener to lift ECU past Marshall 7-4. The Pirates scored seven runs in the third of the nightcap to cruise to a 13-3 sweep of the doubleheader.
The doubleheader sweep turned into a series sweep, as the rains came in and forced the cancellation of the third game. East Carolina moved to 24-12 overall, 6-5 in C-USA. Marshall fell to 14-19 overall, 0-8 in league play.
East Carolina recaps
Marshall recaps
