May 15, 2007

Box Score  | Highlights 

HOUSTON -- Junior Joe Savery went 4-for-5 to lead an 18-hit attack and Chris Kelley's 6.0 shutout innings on the mound paced the pitching staff as the second-ranked Rice baseball team broke a close game wide-open to coast to a 13-0 win over longtime state rival Baylor Tuesday evening at Reckling Park in Houston. The victory was Rice's 15th-straight win as well as its 23rd in the last 24 games.

After three scoreless innings to start the game, the Owls chipped away with two runs in the fourth and three in the sixth before a big six-run seventh. The Blue & Gray added two more in the seventh for a 13-0 margin that was more than enough room as Kelly and relievers Ryne Tacker, Bryan Price and Cole St.Clair combined for the staff's seventh shutout of the season. Kelley scattered four hits and three walks while tying a career-high with seven strikeouts to improve his record to 3-2 on the season. The trio of Tacker, Price and St.Clair all followed suit with matching shutout innings.

In the bottom of the fourth inning Tyler Henley laced a one-out single to center and alertly hustled to second on a Baylor error in the outfield. Henley scored on a base-hit up the middle by Savery for a 1-0 lead. Diego Seastrunk singled and Aaron Luna walked to load the bases. Danny Lehmann drove the ball deep to right field for a sacrifice fly to extend the margin to 2-0.

The Owls were looking some breathing room and sent eight men to the plate for a three-run sixth. Henley and Savery led off with back-to-back singles and designated hitter Jimmy Comerota was safe after a throw was wide on sacrifice bunt attempt. Luna drove in two with a base hit to left-center that sent Comerota to third. He scored on an infield ground out fo a 5-0 lead.

In the seventh Rice sent 10 to the plate and scored six runs on seven hits. A big blow was a bases-loaded single by Danny Lehmann that scored two, but an even bigger blow was a three-run homer by Jordan Dodson. Dodson's seventh round-tripper of the season stretched the lead to 11-0. In the bottom of the eighth, Luna blasted his team-leading eighth homer to score two more.

Luna and Lehmann both finished with four RBI on the night. Savery an Henley both scored three times to account for almost half of the Owls' 13 runs. Rice improved to 42-11 while Baylor fell to 28-24.

The Owls have just three more games to close out the regular season and all are at home starting Thursday through Saturday (May 17-19). Rice hosts Memphis in a three-game C-USA series at Reckling Park. Thursday's first pitch is slated for 7 pm.