Box Score

HOUSTON -- The Rice pitching tandem of junior Joe Savery and senior Ryne Tacker held 20th-ranked Long Beach State in check before finishing with some late-game drama on the way to a 2-1 victory over the Dirtbags in the finale of a three-game weekend series Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park in Houston.

With the victory the Owls clinched the three-game series over LBSU two games to one. Rice has now won 33-consecutive regular season three-game weekend series at home at Reckling Park dating back to April of 2001. Long Beach State won the series-opener on Friday, 4-3 in 11 innings. The Blue & Gray slugged their way to an 11-2 win Saturday and pitched to the one-run victory Sunday.

Rice opened the scoring with single run in the third inning. Junior third baseman J.P. Padron led off with a hustling double to right field and he advanced to third on a fly out. Derek Myers laced a clutch two-out RBI single to center to score Padron for a 1-0 lead.

Long Beach State came right back and tied the game in the top of the fourth. Jason Corder doubled to left and he came home when Danny Espinosa followed with one-out single down the left field line.

The Blue & Gray answered with a run in their half of the fourth. Sophomore Aaron Luna drew a one-out walk and he moved into scoring position on a balk. Sophomore Adam Zornes singled him to third and an RBI ground-out put the Owls back in front, 2-1.

That would be all the room the Rice pitchers would need in the game. Savery started on the mound and left after four innings in a predetermined amount of work. The Houston native from nearby Lamar High School surrendered four hits without any walks and struck out four to improve his record to 2-0. For the second time in as many outings Tacker was solid in relief to earn his second save of the season. He scattered just two hits without allowing any runs over the final five innings, walking two and striking out five.

The Dirtbags had the tying run in scoring position in the top of the eighth, but Tacker worked out of the jam with ground out and strikeout. In the ninth the Owls used a defensive play to win the game. LBSU pinch-hitter T.J. Mittlelstaedt drew a two-out walk and then tried to score from first base on a hit to center by Allen Woods. Rice centerfielder Tyler Henley wasn't able to make the catch on Wood's bloop hit, but he was able to corral the ball and deliver the game-saving throw from the outfield to retire the runner at home plate.

The Owls improved to 5-4 for the season with their third win the last four games. Long Beach State fell to 5-4 overall.

Rice next hosts Dallas Baptist University on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to start the second half of its current eight-game homestand. First pitch with DBU is slated for 4 pm at Reckling Park. The Owls then host a talented pool of teams including Nebraska, Florida Atlantic and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the program's annual home tournament Feb. 23-25. The tournament format features two games each day in a round-robin format.