Michael Fuda
Crosstown rivals Houston and Rice met with first place on the line and the series did not disappoint with Rice winning two of three in a series that was decided by a total of six runs. Houston took the series opener on Friday night, 7-4 as Jared Ray earned his fourth straight win. On Saturday, Michael Fuda hit a two-out RBI single to break a 5-5 tie and give Rice a 7-5 victory. That win earned the Owls the Silver Glove Trophy, which goes to the winner of the annual five-game series between the teams. Rice made it a 2-1 weekend win and a 4-1 Silver Glove series triumph by holding off a late UH rally to win on Sunday, 6-5.
Tulane and Southern Miss renewed their long-standing rivalry in Hattiesburg, with the Green Wave taking two-of-three. Tulane won the opener, 7-2, behind a strong pitching performance by Jonathan Garrett. Southern Miss bounced back to take Saturday’s game, 9-7, coming from behind by scoring nine runs over the final two innings. Thunderstorms were the big winner on Sunday, but the team s were able to play five full innings, as the Green Wave grabbed an 8-4 win and a series triumph.
Marshall broke out its bats for some big innings to take the first two games of its series at UCF before the Knights won the series finale in extra innings. The Thundering Herd used a five-run eighth inning to erase a 7-5 deficit on Friday night, winning 10-8. On Saturday, Marshall erupted for 14 runs over the final two innings to earn a series victory on the road with an 18-8 win. The teams needed extra innings on Sunday, as UCF
UAB took both games of its series against Memphis, with Sunday’s game being cancelled due to heavy rain and tornado warnings in the Birmingham area. The Blazers rallied from an 8-6 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to win Friday night’s game, 9-8. On Saturday, Brint Hardy hit a walk-off home run that gave UAB an 8-7 win.
East Carolina swept its weekend series with Louisiana-Lafayette, allowing a total of just six runs in three games. The Pirates have now reached the 35-win mark with seven regular season games remaining on the schedule. Brad Mincey, Seth Maness and Chris Heston each earned victories on the mound for ECU.
