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Feb. 27, 2008

Box Score

View a photo gallery from the game here

HOUSTON -- With one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Owl sophomore Jimmy Comerota executed a safety squeeze bunt to perfection to break a tie score and lift the sixth-ranked Rice baseball team to a come-from-behind 12-11 victory over crosstown rival Houston in the opening game of the annual series for the Silver Glove Trophy Wednesday afternoon at Reckling Park.

Rice trailed Houston by six runs twice in the contest, including the top of the first inning when the Cougars exploded for a half-dozen runs on six hits, two walks and a Rice fielding error. UH went on to score in each of the first four innings on three Owl pitchers to build an 11-5 advantage after four complete frames.

Owl pitchers Chris Kelley, Zack Harwood, Bryan Price and Jared Gayhart, however, held the Houston offense to just one hit over the final five innings and the Blue & Gray was able to stage a comeback with a mix of the long ball and small ball. Rice put four big runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth behind a three-run homer by junior catcher Adam Zornes that made the score 11-9. Comerota's squeeze bunt with men on the corners highlighted the a three-run ninth to complete the come back.

Houston opened with six runs to start the game, but Rice came right back and scored three in its half of the inning. Diego Seastrunk and Aaron Luna slugged back-to-back two-out singles and J.P. Padron blasted a three-run home run to right field. The homer was Padron's second in as many games.

UH had a single run in the second and two more in the third. Rice scored two more in the bottom of the third to make the score 9-5. Chad Mozingo walked and Luna doubled him home for the first run. Luna scored on an RBI single by Padron for the second.

Houston posted another two runs and already had 12 hits by the end of the fourth inning. In the Rice fifth Mozingo singled and Seastrunk reached on a UH fielding error. Luna singled-home Mozingo for the first score to bring up Padron. The Owls' senior first baseman drove the ball deep to left field for what looked like his second home run of the day, but it was caught at the warning track. The next batter, Zornes, was able to clear the left field wall with his blast for a three-run homer that made the score 11-9.

Mozingo led off the dramatic ninth with a single that lined back off the pitcher. Seastrunk reached on a UH error in the outfield that put men on first and second. Padron walked with one away to load the bases and Zornes ripped a single to right to score two runs and tie the game (11-11) for the first time since the first inning. With Zornes on first and Pardon on third, Comerota bunted a 1-1 pitch toward the right side. The Houston defense came home with the throw, but Padron slid in safely to end the game with a 12-11 Rice victory.

Zornes finished the day with a homer and five RBI. Padron was 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI. The trio of Mozingo, Luna and Seastrunk all scored three times. Gayhart earned his first win of the season on the mound working the final two shutout innings.

There are still four more games to play between Rice and Houston in the annual Silver Glove Trophy Series. The same two teams next meet on March 26 at UH's Cougar Field. The rivals play a three-game C-USA series May 9-11.

The Owls return action this weekend at the annual Houston Classic played downtown at Minute Maid Park, major league home of the Houston Astros. Rice's first game is set for Friday (Feb. 29) against Oklahoma at noon. The Owls meet Texas at 7 pm on Saturday and Texas Tech at 2:30 pm on Sunday.