FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
The tandem of Jimmy Comerota and Chad Mozingo combined for nine hits, five runs and five RBI to pace the Rice baseball team to a double-header sweep of Texas State in its first fall exhibition games Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park. The Owls won the first exhibition game over the Bobcats 8-4 and the second by a score of 5-2.
Comerota was 5-for-7 with three runs scored and three stolen bases for the two games. Mozingo was 4-for-8 with four RBI and a pair of runs. The offense was in gear and the Owls’ pitchers followed suit. Junior right-hander Ryan Berry started and worked three shutout frames with three strikeouts. Veterans Mike Ojala, Jordan Rogers, Zack Harwood and Matt Evers all saw action on the mound and newcomers like Taylor Wall and Anthony Fazio caught the coaches’ attention with solid work.
“It was fun playing someone else in the fall,” said Comerota, who started at first base and rotated to different defensive spots around the infield over the course of the afternoon. “Everyone did a good job today. You get a little bit better idea about how everyone is playing when you don’t have to face your same teammates all the time.”
Rice baseball has three more exhibition dates. The Owls next meet the University of Texas at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock on Oct. 19. First pitch is set for 12:30 pm. The remaining fall schedule for exhibition games is as follows…
Oct. 19 away game vs. Texas (at Dell Diamond), 12:30 pm
Oct. 26 vs. Texas at Reckling Park, 12:30
Nov. 1 vs. McNeese State at Reckling Park, 1 pm
The price for admission to the Oct. 26 exhibition game (vs. Texas) is $5. The other two home exhibition games and practices at Reckling Park are open to the public.
3 comments
A couple additional points for anyone interested…
1. Diego Seastrunk is getting a good, hard look at catcher (if you can believe that), as many scouts project him there. He’s actually done a solid job defensively so far. My guess is Diego catches 1 – 2 games per week, while DHing and being a late-inning reliever the other games.
2. This is shaping up as the fastest Rice team in the Wayne Graham era, and the Owls will likely be adding the basestealing dimension to their game in a big way. Comerota, Hague and Mozingo have already proven themselves to be outstanding baserunners. They’ll likely be joined in the lineup by speedsters Michael Fuda, (LF/DH Soph, who was recruited on a football scholly as a kick returner), Rathjen/JUCO xfer Sultzbaugh (CF) and Holt (2B, JUCO transfer).
3. After struggling on the left-side of the infield the past two seasons, the 2009 Rice team could have it’s best defensive infield since the championship season of ’03, with an ever-improving Rick Hague at SS, slick fielding JUCO transfer Holt at 2B, true Freshman stud Anthony Rendon at 3B (he was drafted as a high-hitting SS by the Braves) and either Comerota or Jess Buenger converting from 2B to 1B.
Walt,
Thanks for the recap. We all know that when it comes to Rice Baseball you are the person to go to for answers!:)
I will be at the Dell Diamond next Sunday as Texas takes on Rice.
Donald, the next two Sundays (once in Austin, once in Houston) should be fun for both teams. Keep in mind, the Owls are still not playing at full strength. Hague, still recovering from Summer shoulder surgery, is only playing defense through Fall Practice, and Buenger (rehabbing from major ankle and foot surgery) is not playing at all (save for his starting BP within the next week or two).
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