HOUSTON, Texas - Junior Rhett Hendricks broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 11th inning to put the HCU baseball team ahead, 4-2, and the Huskies held on to earn a 4-3 extra inning win over the Rice Owls in the opening game of a four-game series on Friday night at Reckling Park.

Both teams managed a few base runners in the early innings with HCU (11-4) stranding a pair of runners in the top of the third. With the game still scoreless in the fourth, Katcher Halligan and Luke Bard led the inning off with consecutive singles before advancing on a sacrifice bunt from Robert Oropeza. Hendricks plated Halligan from third with an infield single and on the next pitch Trevor Roper dropped down a squeeze bunt to bring Bard home and put the Huskies ahead, 2-0.

Parker Edwards kept the Owls (2-15) off the board through five but the hosts managed to hang a pair of runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Edwards issued a leadoff walk before allowing a single to center to the next batter. Louis Castano came on in relief and, after a balk moved runners over and a strikeout, he gave up a one-run infield single that allowed the first Rice run to score. A fielder's choice then scored another run and knotted the game at 2-2.

The Huskies left another two runners on base in the top of the seventh and the Owls did the same in the bottom of the eighth but the game remained tied heading into the ninth. The Owls threatened in the ninth with a leadoff single followed by a sac bunt. An intentional walk and a hit batter later saw Rice with the bases loaded and just one out. Ben Norton, in his second inning of relief work, got a big punchout for the second out and induced a groundout to second to send the game into extra frames.

It was HCU's turn to capitalize on a leadoff walk in the 11th with Halligan drawing the free pass. A fielding error on a sacrifice bunt put two runners on for the Huskies and another sacrifice bunt put two in scoring position with one out. Hendricks laced a single up the middle to bring home two runs and give Norton a two-run lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.

Rice made it interesting, however, with a two-out stolen base and a walk putting a pair of runners on. A throwing error on a double steal attempt allowed a run to score and put the tying run on third but Norton finished the game off with a fly out to left field.

Norton threw 3.2 innings in relief, allowing just one unearned run on two hits with three strikeouts and three walks while improving to 1-1 on the year. Edwards struck out seven in five innings of work, giving up two earned runs on three hits.

Hendricks finished the night 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI while Bard scored twice. Kenneth Dutka had a two-hit game in the leadoff spot and Halligan reached base three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk. Neither team registered an extra-base hit in the game.

The Huskies and Owls will play two on Saturday, Mar. 16, at Husky Field with a pair of seven-inning games beginning at 2:00 p.m.