HOUSTON – HBU freshman shortstop
Sebastian Trinidad went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in his collegiate debut, and delivered an RBI single to plate the go-ahead run in the top of the 10
th inning, as the Huskies turned back Rice, 8-7, in the season opener Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park.
Senior third baseman
Nathan Soriano went 4-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs, while junior first baseman
Jake Miller went 3-for-5 with a double and scored three times, including the game winner for the Huskies (1-0). Junior leftfielder
Christian Dumont went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and scored twice.
Junior
Andrew Reitmeyer (1-0) picked up the win for HBU, allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout and two walks over the final three innings. Sophomore starter
Tyler Zarella gave up four runs on five hits with two strikeouts and four walks in five innings, but only allowed one hit after the first inning. Sophomore
Daxton Tinker allowed two unearned runs on one hit with three strikeouts in two innings.
Austin Bulman homered and drove in four runs for the Owls (0-1). Braden Comeaux went 2-for-5 and scored twice, while Justin Dunlap went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Drake Greenwood (0-1) took the loss, giving up a run on two hits and hitting a batter in one inning of work. Starter Mitchell Holcomb allowed three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings, then Alex DeLeon and gave up four runs on three hits with a walk without recording an out. Brandon Deskins did not allow a run, allowing three hits and striking out four in 3.2 innings of relief.
Each of the first three batters singled for Rice to lead off the bottom of the first, with Will Karp's driving in the first run of the game. Bulman followed with a three-run home run off the fair pole down the leftfield line to stake the Owls to a 4-0 lead.
HBU answered in the second as Miller led off with a double down the leftfield line, then scored on Trinidad's sacrifice fly. Dumont doubled with one out in the fifth and scored on a squeeze bunt by Soriano to cut Rice's lead to 4-2.
Miller and senior catcher
Matt Solomon had back-to-back, one-out singles in the sixth, then senior second baseman
Trent Franson walked to load the bases. Trinidad and Dumont followed with RBI singles to knot the score at 4-4. A comebacker resulted in a force out at home for the second out, then Soriano ripped a bases-clearing triple to right to put the Huskies ahead, 7-4.
The Owls took advantage of a couple of Husky miscues in the bottom half, as Connor Walsh reached on a wild pitch after striking out and Dunlap singled. With two outs, Dumont dropped a deep fly ball by Comeaux, allowing both runners to score and trimming the Huskies' lead to 7-6.
In the ninth, Comeaux led off with a single and scored on Bulman's sacrifice fly to send the game to extra innings.
Miller then led off the 10
th with a single and scored from second on Trinidad's single to right.
Reitmeyer allowed a one-out walk, but got a groundout to first, before Dunlap flied out deep to the warning track in left to end the game.
The series continues with a 12:30 start Sunday, followed by a 1:30 first pitch for the finale Monday.
