Kansas State stymies Rice's late-game rally for 7-6 win
Hall, Meghan
Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: Sports
The two winners of yesterday's games, Rice (40-16) and Kansas State (43-16), squared off Saturday night in Game 4 of the 2009 NCAA Houston Regional. It was a tight, back-and-forth battle, but Kansas State staved off an impressive Rice comeback to come out on top 7-6 and move to 2-0 in the regional..
Action started early for the Owls when the leadoff hitter, junior second baseman Brock Holt, singled up the middle to start the game. Sophomore shortstop Rick Hague followed up with a hit that skipped under the third baseman's glove.
Those two set the stage for junior catcher Diego Seastrunk, who launched a deep drive to right center that barely stayed in the park, scoring Holt. The star of last night's game, sophomore right fielder Chad Mozingo, hit into a fielder's choice and barely missed becoming the third out at first base, allowing Seastrunk to score for a 2-0 Rice lead.
"It was a very good, intense game," Kansas State coach Brad Hill said. "They [were] right on us from the very beginning."
Fourteenth-ranked Kansas State struck back in the top of the second. Rice starter Ryan Berry (7-1) retired five men in a row to start the game, but shortstop Drew Biery broke that up with a double to right field. The next batter, right fielder Jordan Cruz, singled to right for a 2-1 score.
Junior centerfielder Steven Sultzbaugh, who finished with a team-leading three hits, opened the bottom of the frame by lining a ball behind first base that dropped just inside the line for a long single. He moved to third after two groundouts and scored on a wild pitch to bump the Owls' lead back to two.
The scoring didn't stop in the third, however. In the top of the frame, designated hitter Adam Muenster singled, stole second base and scored on another single off the bat of left fielder Nick Martini.
Then for the Wildcats in the sixth, second baseman Carter Jurica started off with a single and soon moved to second on a groundout. After advancing to third on an error by Berry, he scored on a long sacrifice fly by first baseman Justin Bluxom to tie the game at three.
Action started early for the Owls when the leadoff hitter, junior second baseman Brock Holt, singled up the middle to start the game. Sophomore shortstop Rick Hague followed up with a hit that skipped under the third baseman's glove.
Those two set the stage for junior catcher Diego Seastrunk, who launched a deep drive to right center that barely stayed in the park, scoring Holt. The star of last night's game, sophomore right fielder Chad Mozingo, hit into a fielder's choice and barely missed becoming the third out at first base, allowing Seastrunk to score for a 2-0 Rice lead.
"It was a very good, intense game," Kansas State coach Brad Hill said. "They [were] right on us from the very beginning."
Fourteenth-ranked Kansas State struck back in the top of the second. Rice starter Ryan Berry (7-1) retired five men in a row to start the game, but shortstop Drew Biery broke that up with a double to right field. The next batter, right fielder Jordan Cruz, singled to right for a 2-1 score.
Junior centerfielder Steven Sultzbaugh, who finished with a team-leading three hits, opened the bottom of the frame by lining a ball behind first base that dropped just inside the line for a long single. He moved to third after two groundouts and scored on a wild pitch to bump the Owls' lead back to two.
The scoring didn't stop in the third, however. In the top of the frame, designated hitter Adam Muenster singled, stole second base and scored on another single off the bat of left fielder Nick Martini.
Then for the Wildcats in the sixth, second baseman Carter Jurica started off with a single and soon moved to second on a groundout. After advancing to third on an error by Berry, he scored on a long sacrifice fly by first baseman Justin Bluxom to tie the game at three.
Comments from unregistered users are subject to editor approval. Log in or register now to post a comment immediately. Alternatively, you may now even post a comment anonymously.
Be the first to comment on this story