the Rice Thresher

Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Simon Bucknell Senior Diego Seastrunk hits a solo home run during the fourth inning in Rice's 13-7 loss to Lamar Wednesday. Seastrunk's home run was one of the lone bright spots in the team's 0-4 start, its worst start in 10 years.

Head Coach Wayne Graham took his team out to Stanford University last weekend in hopes of presenting his squad with a good early-season challenge. But after a disappointing sweep at the hands of the Cardinal (4- 0) and a 13-7 loss to a mediocre Lamar University team, Graham is suddenly the one facing a number of challenges. Following a weekend of poor starting pitching, inconsistent offense and shaky defense, the Owls (0-4) are off to their worst start since 2000.

The Owls' season opener started with a bang, but the success for Rice was short-lived. In the first at-bat of the season, freshman second baseman Mike Ratterree drove a 3-1 offering over the left field fence, giving the Owls the early 1-0 lead.

But sophomore Taylor Wall (0-1, 9.0 ERA), the starting pitcher and ace of the staff, struggled to find the strike zone and lasted just three innings in his first opening, surrendering three runs on four hits and two walks.

Sophomore Matthew Reckling pitched three shutout innings in relief but was unable to work through the seventh after giving up a solo home run and a pair of singles. Stanford blew the inning open for three more runs, taking a 6-2 lead and holding on for the 6-4 victory in the season opener.

Graham handed the ball to senior right-hander Jared Rogers on Saturday afternoon, hoping to get Rice in the win column, but the coach found results similar to the night before. Rogers was unable to get out of the fourth inning unscathed, allowing two earned runs on a walk and five hits. Rice trailed 2-1 entering the seventh inning, when a base hit by junior rightfielder Chad Mozingo and a walk by senior first-baseman Jimmy Comerota set the plate for Ratterree's three-run home run, the freshman's second round-tripper in as many games.

But once again, the lead would not last for the Owls, as the team fell apart at the seams in the bottom of the seventh. Five Rice relievers combined to give up a total of 11 runs on nine hits and three walks before the inning was over. The Rice defense was no more impressive in the inning, making three errors in the frame to put the game well out of reach.

Continued...

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