Baseball

Rice shows dominance against Cougars

For the second time in as many weeks the Owls were too much for the Cougars, as pitching coach Jack Cressend talks strategy with pitcher Codey Morehouse and catcher M.P. Cokinos. UH allowed the same run total as last week to the Owls, and was shut out on offense. | Newton Liu/The Daily Cougar

Rice dominated the Cougars a week ago, and the time away made no difference. The Owls’ pitchers limited UH to two hits and pulled a shutout, winning 7-0 Tuesday at Reckling Park.

The loss puts the Owls two games ahead of the Cougars (12-14) in the battle for the Silver Glove Trophy.

“Both sides of the ball game weren’t really good tonight, this wasn’t us tonight,” head coach Todd Whitting said. “For us to be successful we have to show up and play Cougar baseball, and we just didn’t show up.”

The Owls drew first blood in the second inning with four runs, two coming on walks. With one out in the inning, center fielder Daniel Gonzales-Luna got the first RBI of the game with a hit to right field, scoring Ryan Lewis.

Codey Morehouse walked the next three batters he faced, giving the Owls two more runs. Taylor Hammack came in to relieve Morehouse. He walked the first batter he faced, loading the bases.

The Owls (17-11) tacked on another run in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly from Anthony Rendon.

Rice would put another run on the board in the fifth courtesy of Gonzales-Luna, who singled to center field to bring home Shane Hoelscher. Hoelscher started the inning hitting a single to left field off Chase Dempsay.

The runs kept pilling in for the Owls in the seventh, when pitcher Dakota Dill walked Keenan Cook with the bases loaded to score right fielder Ryan Lewis, who had also walked earlier in the inning.

Cougar pitching finally settled down in the 7th, but this came a little too late, as the Cougar offense did not show itself at all in the game.

Despite the loss, Whitting remains optimistic as the Cougars gear themselves for the Conference USA schedule.

“Although this is a game against one of our competitors inside the city and the state, this game doesn’t mean anything,” Whitting said.

“This does not make or break our season. What matters is how we play in conference play down the road.”

The Cougars will travel to New Orleans to play against Tulane for a three-game series starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

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