HOUSTON, Texas – HCU baseball is set for a four-game non-conference series against Rice, beginning Friday, March 14, at Reckling Park. The Huskies will host the Owls for a doubleheader at Husky Field on Saturday before closing out the series on Sunday back at Rice. The matchup is the final non-conference weekend series of the season for HCU as it prepares to return to Southland Conference play next weekend.
The Huskies (10-4) enter the series riding momentum from a strong 7-2 victory over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday night. A three-run fourth inning put the Huskies ahead and consistent offensive production propelled HCU to the win. Ayden Slott led the offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, including a two-run homer. Tevis Payne provided a pair of doubles and an RBI while also making an impact defensively, throwing out two runners attempting to steal. Kenneth Dutka contributed two runs and two stolen bases, and Parker Edwards recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the season. On the mound, Kyler Mentzel earned the win in relief, delivering two scoreless innings with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit. The Huskies' pitching staff limited Prairie View A&M to just one extra-base hit and two runs on eight total hits.
Edwards leads the Huskies with five home runs and eight extra-base hits with 15 RBI while
Katcher Halligan has scored a team-best 17 runs. On the mound, the Huskies boast a team ERA of 4.32 with
Joshua Caravalho sporting a perfect 4-0 record across four starts while Edwards has a team-high 22 strikeouts on the year.
Rice (2-14) comes into the weekend after suffering a 9-4 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday at Reckling Park and has lost 10 games in a row. The Islanders jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first and adding four more over the next three innings before the Owls could get on the board. Rice's offense was quiet until the fourth, when Michael Zito and Hiram Bocachica Jr. recorded the team's first hits of the game. Blaine Brown drove in a run with a single to left, and Treyton Rank added another on a sacrifice fly. Despite a late push in the ninth, including a two-RBI single from Colton Green, Rice was unable to mount a comeback.
The Owls have a team ERA of 8.28 to this point in the season senior Tucker Alch boasting a 4.08 ERA and a 1-0 record. Freshman Michael Zito leads the Owls at the plate with a .359 batting average and nine runs scored.
Following the series against Rice, HCU will turn its attention back to Southland Conference play with a three-game road series against UT Rio Grande Valley. The Huskies will open the series on Friday, March 21, followed by games on Saturday and Sunday.
