ALL POST GAME INTERVIEWS COMING SOON

All post-game interviews will be posted this week. Stay tuned to hear what the guys said in victory and in defeat.

CWS: THIS WAS A TOUGH LOSS

Cole St. Clair does not like losing--look in those eyes and you can see his competitive nature spilling out.
Coach Graham fights tears as he listens to Savery talk about his last at-bat as an Owl.
Savery reflects on the situation at hand and his Rice career.

"That pitch was at least six inches outside," Joe told the media afterwards. "And then they played it on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see."

CWS GAME FOUR VS.NC: JUST OUT OF REACH

This pick-off was called a balk.
He's begging for some help--otherwise he was OUT.
Savery hit the ball hard but with no results. Thanks, Joe, for the great memories!
Ackley's home run was a moon shot, as Tyler Henley will attest.
"That was six inches outside. And then they put it up on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see." Joe steps out of the batter's box for Rice for the final time.

CWS GAME FOUR VS.NC: JUST OUT OF REACH

Jess Buenger watches Jordan Dodson sky in an attempt to make a miracle catch and save a home run.








That's an 8 foot wall out there--look where Jordan is (he's already on the way down) as he leans in vain for this homer.
This two run single was just out of Brian Friday's reach.
The ball is just beyond his grasp--and so was a national title.

JUST OUT OF REACH

National Title Hopes Dashed

By Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha--In the end, it brought Wayne Graham to tears. Forget the saying, “There’s no crying in baseball.” When you get this close, there is.

Thursday’s game was the end of the line for several members of the freshman class of 2005. For Joe Savery and Brian Friday, it would be the last time to wear a Rice uniform in a game that mattered (hopefully, we’ll see them at the alumni game in January). It may be the end of the line for Cole St. Clair, Bobby Bramhall, Danny Lehmann, Tyler Henley, and a few others as well.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

What had been Rice’s trademark all season—outstanding pitching—betrayed them when it counted the most. But to be fair, things weren’t the same here in Omaha as they had been the entire year.

Take for example, the batter’s box. According to Danny Lehmann, “It was two inches from home plate.” Lehmann complained about it to home plate umpire David Buck, who acknowledged Danny was right, but “”We’ll fix it in the next set of games.”

That didn’t help Rice pitching at all. It enabled North Carolina hitters to hang out over the home plate like vultures. That’s why Rice pitching gave up four home runs in the final game of the season. Rice had not given up three home runs in any game until they reached Omaha. If you’re wondering how they suddenly became batting practice pitchers with all the home runs, look no further than what Danny Lehmann had to say (by the way--they didn't fix it--and Wayne Graham thought North Carolina had the best pitching next to Rice--but look st Saturday's results--not any different than what we endured).

One thing that didn’t help matters was Matt Langwell tweaked his back before the game. He thought he could pitch through it. It was only when Coach Graham was alerted to the situation that a change was made. But that was two home runs after the fact, and the tone of the game had been set by then. Ackley absolutely parked Langwell's homer over the batter's backdrop in centerfield--and that takes a shot of monster proportions to hit something that far.

Yes, Rice scored to bring the game back to 3-2. But once Langwell was pulled in favor of Bobby Bramhall, things went downhill in a hurry. Bobby had a phenomenal year for Rice, but gave up the same number of home runs in the game (2) as he had all season. And this isn't blaming Bramhall--he simply could not adjust to the new conditions of a closer batter's box. In Bramhall's defense, there weren't many in this series that could or did.

But perhaps the cruelest fate of all fell on Joe Savery in the seventh inning. Joe took what was a pitch six inches off the plate for a called third strike, and you could see by Joe's reaction--during the game and afterwards--that he felt robbed.

"That pitch was six inches outside,"Joe said afterwards, "and then they showed it up on the scoreboard for God and everyone to see."

Now it's time for one question.

Did the Owls choke?

No.

Go back and look at games three and four. The Owls were hitting the ball hard in both games. A line drive by Lehmann in game three was an atom ball at the third baseman. Another line drive was speared for a double play. The Owls were not striking out--they had only a handful in game four, including two at critical points.

This team played with heart.

There was no quit on this team or on the bench.

It simply wasn't meant to be this year.

That's the hard facts that are tough to swallow.

A SEASON TO BE PROUD OF

2007 should go down in history as one of the finest in Owl history for several reasons. Let's look at a few.

First--they finally overcame the stigma of not being able to beat Texas. Joe Savery believed this was the turning point of the season. Before that, they were only 19-10. Look at their record today. They lost only one game in April. They lost one in May. They lost only two in June. That says a lot about this team right there.

I was told after the Texas game--and it's here on the blog--that the goal was not to lose another game this year. That sounded like a bold statement then. But they actually came close to pulling that off.

Second--they overcame injuries. Cole St. Clair, Bobby Bell, and others were injured during the year. At the end of the season, they lost their number two starter in Ryne Tacker. Others like Aaron Luna played hurt virtually the entire season. It was a far more difficult road to Omaha than last year because of those injuries.

Third--this team was a true team. They were like the Three Musketeers--all for one and one for all. There was no selfishness on this team as others got more playing time. Role players like Jess Buenger, Jared Gayhart, and others began emerging out of the shadows and played important roles in how well Rice played. Did you expect Gayhart to hit around the .350 mark this year for the most part? Enough said.

Fourth--this team should be nicknamed "The Die-Hards." Who can ever forget that win against the Aggies in the tenth inning? I don't think Joe Savery, Danny Lehmann, or Jordan Dodson will. They played hard to the last out. Every game.

Every pitch.

That's what Rice baseball was in 2007. I know that I'm supposed to be unbiased. I can't be when it comes to this team. To all the Rice players, coaches, and Coach Graham--thanks for a wonderful 2007 season. It won't be forgotten here--I hope that you won't forget it anytime soon either. Also--thanks to all the parents who have shown their support in this venture. It's been great to get to know many of you.

To the players not returning and going pro--I wish you all nothing but the very best (yes, even when you come and play the Astros).

To the returning players and staff--looking forward to 2008 and seeing what unfolds in that new season.

A GREAT LINK FOR CWS PHOTO COVERAGE

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3939

I've been very impressed with the Omaha paper. Sat right next to the photographer that took these pics yesterday (you'll notice we have some of the same).

Great Article on Wayne Graham

If you haven't seen or read this, it's worth a click.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10056838

CWS: MORE PICS FROM OMAHA AGAINST N.C.

Jordan Dodson nailed this pitch, but pulled it foul.
Talk about a close play at first. . . this was it.
Savery hit this one a long way, but not far enough.

Coach Graham has some words for his players after the top of the second.
Ry-an Ber-ry delivers his knuckle curve.
Chris Kelley pitched well in relief.
Scott Longeran releases a pitch.
Henley put the screws to this one.

CWS: GREAT PLAY BY SEASTRUNK

Diego reacts to the crack of the bat.
He snags it in his glove.
Diego gets up and transfers the ball.
He reaches back to put some zip on it to first.
Seastrunk fires to first to get the runner.

CWS: GREAT PLAY BY LUNA

Luna ranges far, going behind the bag to make the snag.
Luna sets himself for the throw.
Luna cocks to fire to Savery at first.
Luna fires to first for the out.

CWS: FRIDAY BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

Friday starts back in the second inning for what seems to be a routine pop-up.
You can see he has it in range--it looks like he will make the play.
Suddenly, that seems a little less likely.
As the ball drops, look at Brian's reaction--he is most likely seeing spots and can't see the ball.
Henley rushes in to keep the damage to a minimum, and Friday is still struggling to see the ball.

ANY DOUBTS FRIDAY WASN'T TAGGED?

http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/rice-07-ncaa-cws-central.html

This settles it once and for all--he was not tagged and was in the baseline.

CWS: FRUSTRATION

Brian Friday appeared to have not been tagged and is in the baseline.
He slides for second.
Friday looks for the safe sign.
"Whaddya mean?"
"I was SAFE!"

NORTH CAROLINA TURNS UP HEAT
Owls Offense Cooked by North Carolina Pitching, Mistakes

by Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha—As if it wasn’t already hot enough on the field, Robert Woodward turned it up a notch with his great pitching, leading the Tar Heels to victory over Rice by a score of 6-1.

Ryan Berry started in a similar fashion as he did the previous start—by hitting the first batter. But while Whiting stuck his elbow out to get on, Fronk got drilled in the knee. Fronk shook off the effects as Federoff singled to left and advanced to third. Horton followed with a single that brought across the Heel’s first run. But with runners on first and second and no outs, Berry struck out Federowicz, and induced Seager to line into a double play at first to end the inning with the Heels up, 1-0.

The bottom of the first started off promising when Brian Friday opened with a single to left. After Gayhart popped out, Woodward caught Friday off first. Depending on whom you listen to, Friday may well have been safe at second, but was called out. That play would define the day for the Owls, and be just the beginning of a nightmare for Friday. Henley grounded out to end the inning, and Rice was still down, 1-0.

In the second, Berry got Flack to pop up to Brian Friday. But the usually sure-handed shortstop dropped it, and that opened the door for the Tar Heels. The next batter grounded to what looked lie a sure double play, but another error—this time by Luna—left two on and no out. Williams struck out swinging for the first out, but Gore singled to center, but Fox held Flack at third. Berry then walked Fronk to force across the second Tar Heel run. Fedroff hit a sacrifice fly tobring across the third run and Gore took third on a good throw from Gayhart. Berry then hit Horton to load the bases again. But Berry struck out Federowicz again, and the nightmare seemed to be over. The third inning started off well for Berry as he got the side in order. But that would be his last hurrah in this game.

In the fourth, Berry walked Williams to open the frame, and Gore moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a grounder to Savery sent Fronk to third, Berry went wild, in a manner of speaking, hitting Fedroff and Horton in consecutive at-bats. That was all Coach Graham’s blood pressure could take, as he lifted Berry in favor of Chris Kelley. Federowicz flied out to end the inning, but the damage was done, and the Heels were up by a count of 3-0. The next three innings were uneventful, unfortunately, for both sides.

While it may have seemed the offense had gone to sleep, that really wasn’t the case. Balls were hit hard by Rice, but simply didn’t fall in. Rice just couldn’t find the holes. And the defense was playing well. While Woodward was making great pitches along the way, the Owls didn’t give in a single inch. IN the seventh, however, it began to slip away for the Owls. With two outs, Seager walked, and Flack singled up the middle, with Seager moving to third. Ackley hit a home run just out of the reach of right fielder Jared Gayhart, and suddenly, the Heels had a bigger lead and scored more runs than they had in the previous meeting with Rice on Sunday.

In each of the last three innings, Rice tried to mount a comeback. In the seventh, Gayhart opened the inning by singling up the middle, and Henley singled to right to put runners on first and second with no outs. Savery grounded into a double play, but Gahart moved to third. Luna walked, and Danny Lehmann doubled down the leftfield line to put Rice on the board. But Seastrunk grounded out to first to end the inning.

In the eighth, Dodson walked with one out, and Friday singled to right to put runners on first and third with one out. At that point, North Carolina brought in their third pitcher of the day—Andrew Carrigan, the closer who was throwing bullets. Gayhart and Henley flied out, and that opportunity went by the boards.

Savery opened the ninth for the Owls with a single to right off the flame-throwing closer. Luna walked again, and Danny Lehmann came to the plate and ripped a hard line drive down the left field line—but the third baseman snagged it for the first out. Seastrunk hit into the second one on a fielder’s choice, and Savery advanced to third. But Buenger grounded out to second, and that was it for the Owls today. Matt Langwell will face North Carolina in a winner goes to the finals, loser goes home game. No word yet on North carolina’s starter.

CWS: MYSTERY IN CONGRATS

Ryan Berry looks like an innocent bystander just watching the game in this picture, doesn't he?

The mystery begins as Friday doubles. . . .
The double scores both Buenger and Seastrunk. . . . Buenger is welcomed home. . . .

A closer look, however, reveals something mysterious in Buenger's hair.

CWS PICS: "If the ump is grinning, you ain't winning"

St. Clair hadthe runner picked off, but was called for a balk on this.

Brian Friday obviously disagreed with the call.
Coach Graham isn't winning this argument--look at the grin on the ump's face. If they grink, you don't win the argument!

CWS PICS AGAINST NC SUNDAY

Joe Savery throws an "UNcle Charlie" to the first hitter.
Savery delivers. . .

. . . and follows through.
Mike Fox obviously disagrees with first base ump on the balk call.
Seastrunk singles after Savery was intentionally walked. Think he wasn't focused? Look at his eyes!

RICE BRINGS OUT WHUPPING STICK AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA, 14-4
Owls Face NC Again Tomorrow in Elimination Game for Heels

By Mark Anderson

Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha—The Rice Owls scored six runs in the second inning as they took their second win of the College World Series.

For those of you who think this sounds familiar, you’re right. It is exactly the same situation the Owls found themselves in at this point last year.

But there is something different about this 2007 squad. They will not talk in public about it, but for this team, there is a sense of unfinished business and something to prove to their critics. Twenty-nine runs over two games is not an accident. This team has the sticks to hit, from the first spot in the lineup to the ninth, including the role players on this team.

If there was any doubt whatsoever that Friday’s 15-20 win over Louisville was a fluke, the win over North Carolina made a statement that it wasn’t.

In the top of the second, Danny Lehmann—possibly the quiet MVP of this series—doubled to left with one out. Joe Savery brought him in with a single back through the middle to bring Lehmann home. Diego Seastrunk introduced himself to America by hitting a double to put Savery at third. Buenger followed that with a run-scoring single. That brought up J.P. Padron, playing first for Savery, and his at-bat was one that defined the Owls this evening as he fouled off pitches and took pitches until he walked on the twelfth pitch. That brought up Brian Friday, whose double brought in two more runs.

That was the end for starting pitcher Alex White, but not the end of the nightmare in Omaha for North Carolina. New pitcher Matt Danford, who balked before you could blink. Mike Fox, the North Carolina head coach, simply couldn’t believe David Buc’s call, and a long discussion followed, with Buck the one walking away smiling, and Fox practically ready to pull out his hair.

After Fox’s appeal fell on deaf ears, play was resumed—and the Owl offense kept going with it. Jared Gayhart kept the inning going and the runs scoring by hitting a sacrifice fly. Aaron Luna ended the inning thre way he started it—by hitting into an out. He would make up for that later, though, and the Owls took a 6-0 lead.

After North Carolina chipped away fro a run in the bottom of the second, Rice came back with two runs after two outs in the third. Seastrunk reached on Josh Horton’s error that should have ended the inning. Buenger was the n hit by a pitch, and Padron singled to left, scoring Seastrunk with Rice’s seventh run, making it a 7-1game.

North Carolina, however, stuck to a strategy—making Joe Savery run up his pitch count. And it was working, at least to a dregree. North Carolina chipped away for another run to make the score 7-2, but more importantly, Savery’s pitch count at the end of three was sixty pitches—a very high count.

But in the fourth inning, Rice did two things—it scored two runs and gave Joe a chance to gather himself. Gayhart started the inning by drawing a walk, as did Henley. Aaron Luna laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving runners up to second and third. Lehmann then hit a grounder to third baseman Chad Flack, who caught Gayhart in a rundown between third and hime, and was eventually tagged out, but not without runners advancing to second and third. That brought up Savery, who was given a free pass That brought up Diego Seastunk, who promptly singled to right on a 1-0 count to drive in two more runs for the Owls.

That was the end for Danford, who was replaced by Tyler Trice. Trice struck out Jess Buenger to end the inning, but the score was now 9-2 in favor of Rice.

When Savery came to the mound in the fourth, the issue of whether or not he would be around long enough to get his first win at the College World Series was settled—and very quickly. He threw one ball on the forst pitch, and then on three consecutive pitches, got Johnson to ground out to third, Gore to ground out to third, and then Fronk to fly out to leftfielder Aaron Luna to end the inning. Up until that point, Savery had thrown sixty four pitches through four. Although giving up an uncharacteristic four runs on seven hits and three walks, and two wild pitches on top of that, Savery ended six plus innings with a total of eighty-seven pitches in receiving that first ever CWS win.

Meanwhile, Rice continued to add to their lead. In the fifth, RBI singles by Gayhart and Henley increased the run output to eleven. IN the seventh, Danny Lehmann’s RBI single added another run. And in the top of the ninth, Henley reached by getting hit with two outs, bringing Aaron Luna to the plate. Luna finished off the scoring with a homer to left center, making the final score 14-4.

Cole St. Clair, the Owls’ All-American reliever, came in to take over for Savery in the seventh, and gave up only two hits and allowed no runs while striking out two.

Wednesday’s game will be a rematch against North Carolina. While the starting pitchers have not officially been named, expect Ry-an Ber-ry to get the start in an attempt to vanquish North Carolina. North Carolina most likely will send out their best in Robert Woodward. Both have similar records and ERAs.

RICE BREAKS CURSE IN A BIG WAY

Rice rallies from 10-4 Deficit to take Game, 15-10

By Mark Anderson

For anyone that has followed the Rice Owls this year, there’s no question that this team can hit and hit in the clutch.

They proved that in a big way Saturday, coming back from a 10-4 deficit to take game one from a stunned Louisville Cardinal team by a score of 15-10.

Not the Best Start

It didn’t start well for the Owls. The first pitch Ryan Berry threw hit leadoff hitter Boomer Whiting. Berry wasn’t pleased in the least by the call at the plate, feeling that Whiting had made no attempt to get out of the way. Berry would be justified later when Whiting was hit again, but the umpire called it a ball and he hit a pop foul that Friday would make an outstanding catch on.

But that was later. Meanwhile, back in the first inning, after Johnson flied out to right, Berry hit Burton with another pitch. After Howes struck out swinging, Castillo singled up the middle to bring home Louisville’s first run. But Dominguez ended the inning by striking out and kept the damage minimized to a score of 1-0.

The Owls looked like they were going to get back in it when Friday led off the bottom of the first with a double. He would be marooned at second after Gayhart flied to right and Henley and Savery struck out to end the inning.

In the Cardinal second, Rodriguez singled to left to open the inning. Alfonso laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Rodriguez might have been had at second as he did a bumbling and stumbling act there, but the play went to first. Berry then uncorked a wild pitch to send Rodriguez to third. Cates then grounded to Friday, who had no play at the plate, and the Cardinals increased their lead to 2-0.

An Opportunity Disappears

After Lehmann was hit leading off the second, the Owls had another opportunity when, with two outs, Buenger singled to center. But again, the Owls couldn’t capitalize, and it remained 2-0.

It didn’t stay that way long, however. Burton led off with a single, and was erased on a 6-4 fielder’s choice, leaving Howes at first. Castillo singled, bringing up Dominguez. There was no bumbling and stumbling act when Dominguez swung the bat, and launched
a three run homer over Jordan Dodson and the left centerfield fence to make the score 5-0. After Berry struck out Rodriguez, Alfonso doubled and that ended Berry’s first appearance in the CWS. Graham brought in Langwell, who seduced Cates into a fly ball to end the inning, but the Owls were down, 5-0.

Owl bats wake up

But the Owl bats finally awakened in Omaha in the bottom of the inning when Friday fouled out. Gayhart singled up the middle, and so did Henley. Savery flied out for the second out, making it look like the Owls would not score again.

Wrong.

But Danny Lehmann took the ball to right for a base hit that scored Gayhart. Seastrunk’s single brought home Henley and moved Lehmann to third. Luna’s single brought Lehmann home and moved Seastrunk to second. Jess Buenger’s single brought Seastrunk across the plate. However, Luna rounded third and was caught in no man’s land and tagged out for the third out of the inning. But that didn’t happen before four runs had scored, and the Owls were within a run, 5-4.

The Louisville fourth began with Langwell walking Whiting. Whiting, however, was pegged out by Danny Lehmann throwing down to Brian Friday. And it was a good thing, because Johnson hit the first of two home runs on the day to make it 6-4, Cardinals. But they could muster no threat after that in the fourth.

The Louisville fifth inning was a different story. With one out, Alfonso singled. Cates followed with a double to left that moved Alfonso to third. Alfonso and to dive back into third because of over-running it and was just able to get back in. Whiting singled in a relieved Alfonso, and that was it for Langwell as Graham brought in Scott Longergan.

But even Graham could not have imagined what would happen on the very next pitch.

Remember Johnson—the guy who homered in the previous inning? Guess what he did—on the very first pitch? CHA-CHING! Lonergan was the most surprised person in the ballpark, because, as he told the blog afterwards, “I made my pitch.” Johnson had simply hit Longergan’s best pitch. While Howes would reach with two outs, it was of no consequence, but Louisville had added four runs to make it 10-4, Cardinals.

The Beginning of the End

If you turned off the TV and stomped away, you missed one of the best comebacks you could ever hope to witness. Those ten runs looked huge, but not to the Owls. Graham said afterwards, at that point in the game, “We’re going to win the ballgame. Can anyone truly define baseball? That’s what makes it truly a great game. Unpredictable. Obviously I didn’t think it would be 15-10.”

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Danny Lehmann singled, and Diego Seastrunk followed with another single to put Lehmann at third. But at this point, Louisville began to fall apart as a Luna grounder to short ended up as an error, scoring Lehmann, and put runners on second and third. Buenger hit a sacrifice fly to score Seastrunk and move Luna to third. Dodson then doubled to left center, bringing in Luna. That ended Pitt’s day on the mound for Louisville. Logsdon got Friday on a lineout to short to end the inning, but the Owls had scored three to make the score 10-7.

Dominguez led off the sixth for the Cardinals with a single, but was immediately erased trying to steal, and now the Owls were starting to get it together as Longergan pitched another shutout inning.

Homers by Savery and Luna inch the Owls Closer

In the bottom of the sixth, if momentum had not swung to the Savery came Owls, it did here. Joe Savery came up with two outs. He had been robbed twice—once by the rightfielder, and once by the centerfielder. But not this time. Joe swung, and CHA-CHING! He hit it where they weren’t for a home run, and the Owls were within two runs, 10-8.

An inning later, Aaron Luna, who had been struggling at the plate in the regionals and super-regionals, put all that frustration behind him with one swing of the bat, and CHA CHING!—the Owls now trailed by a single run.

Bobby B. brings relief

At this point, Graham replaced Longergan with Bramhall, who is the type of pitcher that tortures coaches, as Graham admitted afterwards. “He’s a lefty. He’s been like that all year. He’s going to throw what he’s going to throw, and he believes in himself.” Bobby gave up only one hit—but walked three to make Graham want to reach for his blood pressure medicine once more.

One of the Greatest Innings in Rice Owl Baseball

Bramhall keeping the game at 10-9 in the eighth opened the door to one of the greatest moments in Rice Owl baseball in the bottom of the eighth. Magnusen was brought in to shut the door. Instead, he opened it, and then lost the handle and the key as well. Lembeck began by singling to right. Henley laid down a bunt to move him up, but beat the throw, putting two on and bringing up Savery. Savery singled to bring in Lembeck and put Henley at second and knot the game up at 10-10.

Not for long.

Lehmann came to the plate to lay down a sacrifice bunt. With two strikes, he turned as if to bunt—then run and putting Savery at third. After Seastrunk grounded out, holding the runners, Luna was walked intentionally. Buenger flied out to left, bringing Lehmann home. Dodson cleared the bases with a booming double to left. Brian Friday reached on another error by shortstop—a costly one. Lemback followed Friday by reaching on an error—this tme by the third baseman as Dodson scored. The inning ended as Friday tried for third, but was pegged out by the shortstop.

If that doesn’t qualify as one of the great innings in Rice Owl baseball history—and one of the most important and exciting as well—I don’t know what will.

UPCOMING
The Owls will play the North Carolina Tar Heels Sunday at 6pm. Joe Savery is expected to get the start for the Owls.

More PICS FROM GAME ONE CWS

Ry-an Ber-ry was not pleased with the result and call of the first pitch of the game. Whiting was hit a second time, and it was disallowed and called a ball.
Matt Langwell delivers in relief of Berry.

Jess Buenger nails this pitch for an RBI single.
Seastrunk scores on Buenger's single.
Friday hustles back to first later in the game.

OWLS COME BACK TO WIN GAME ONE OF CWS

Joe Savery finally "hit 'em where they ain't" (at least the Louisville outfielders).

Aaron Luna wowed the crowd with this home run. Wanna know how far he hit it? Look at Danny Lehmann in the background (third from left).

Brian Friday gets ready to make a great catch down the leftfield foul line.
Chad Lembeck slides home with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.

RICE-LOUISVILLVE TO OPEN CWS FRIDAY

Rice and Louisville will open the College World Series this Friday at 1 pm Central. No word yet on starting pitchers for either team, but ESPN2 will be televising it nationally. Set those TiVOs up now!

We'll let you know who the starting pitchers will be as soon as we get word ourselves.

OOPS!

I received several comments and meant to publish them here. However, having never had a comment to publish before, I hit the wrong buton--and they are out there--somewhere.

Those who sent comments in--and those who would like to--would you please resend those comments? I'm still learning about this blog every time I use it and what I can and can't do. I thought I published those comments--but I thought wrong. Give me another chance! Let's see if I can figure it out the second time around.

SMILES EVERYWHERE

You think "The Bellville Banger" didn't have a reason to smile?

Adam Zornes displays a big smile after Saturday's win.

Ry-an Berr-ry is all smiles after the win.
Matt Langwell, Jess Buenger, and Coach Pierce are all smiles.
Tyler Henley, Jordan Dodson, Brian Friday, Aaron Luna, and Chad Lembeck, among others, are all smiles after the win.

OWLS PUT THE BAT ON THE BALL SATURDAY

SAVERY HR IN SECOND SPARKS OWLS

Savery readies himself for the pitch.
Savery puts the opposite field swing on a fastball.
Savery follows through with an opposite field HR to left that sparked the Owls.

INTERVIEW WITH MATT LANGWELL AND JOE SAVERY ON THE WIN AGAINST A & M SATURDAY

After the Owls' exciting win Saturday to send Rice to the College World Series, Matt Langwell and Joe Savery were gracious to give an interview on the exciting win and what's coming up. Hear what they had to say here:

http://www.ricefootball.net/tamu6-9.wav

JORDAN DODSON INTERVIEW FROM FRIDAY NIGHT

Listen to Jordan Dodson as he talks about his run that tied the ninth and his game-winning hit in the tenth:

http://www.ricefootball.net/tamu6-8.wav

L-R:Aaron Luna, Jared Gayhart, Tyler Henley, and J.P. Padron give the fans a hand.
Aaron Luna responds to the fans.
Brian--is that a tear in your eye?
Jess Buenger, Aaron Luna, Danny Lehmann, Tyler Henley, and Chris Kelley visit with the fans and celebrate the win.

Joe Savery tips his cap for what could be his last time as a player for the Owls at Reckling Park.

O-MA-HA! O-MA-HA!

Interference play in first, Savery HR spark Owls to CWS

By Mark Anderson

Matt Langwell did one of the best Houdini impressions in recent memory as he wiggled out of a bases load and no outs situation in the first inning, and Joe Savery’s solo homer in the second to put the Owls up by 2-0 sparked the Owls as they completed their quest for Omaha.

Langwell, who usually pounds the strike zone with pitches, did anything but early in the game. He struggled with his control early, walking three and throwing a wild pitch in for good measure. But after struggling early and getting out of the bases loaded jam, Langwell began to settle down and take command of the game.

Meanwhile, the Owls began to do a slow water drip torture on the Aggies. They never exploded and scored a bunch of runs at once, although they certainly had those opportunities. Instead, they added one run at a time to pad their lead.

In the fourth inning, the Owls scored a run as Lehmann led of the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Friday beat out a bunt attempt. Gayhart followed Friday by beating out another bunt attempt to load the bases with no outs. At this point, A & M made a pitching change, bringing in the hard-throwing Rivers. Henley brought Lehamnn across the plate by grounding into a tailor-made 4-6-3 double play, leaving Friday at third. But Savery grounded out to end the inning, and the Owls let opportunity to blow the game open pass them by.

The sixth inning was another opportunity missed as Dodson led off with a single, and Lehmann singled on a bunt to put runners on first and second with no outs. But Stinson’s pickoff from catcher to short caught Dodson by surprise for the first out. Friday then hot a line shot that was snagged by A & M second baseman Parker Daltopn, whose quick throw back to first beat Lehmann back to the bag. And just as quick as you could blink an eye, the Owls’ promising inning was over.

In the top of the seventh, however, the Owls pushed across another run when Tyler Henley tripled with one out and Joe Savery singled to drive him in anmd make the score 4-1 in favor of the Owls.

The Owls struck again in the eighth inning as well when Buenger reached first when Hicks committed his third error in two games. Seastrunk laid down a bunt that moved The Bellvile Banger to second, where he was replaced by pinch runner Derek Myers and Campbell came in to pitch for A & M. Myers took third on a wild pitch when Campell threw a wild pitch with Dodson at the plate. Dodson eventually walked, bringing up the qiuet leader of the offense over the weekend in the person of Danny Lehmann. Lehman attempted a safety squeeze, but fouled it off. Lehmann then laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to bring home Myers and make the score 5-1.

With Cole St. Clair on the mound, that lead seemed invincible. But Blake Stouffer drove a pitch from St. Clair over the left field wall, giving the Aggies the faintest of heartbeats, pulling within the score of 5-2.

But Cole St. Clair would give up only one other hit in his 2 2/3 innings of relief, and tin the ninth, the Aggies got a grounder to St. Clair, a fly ball to Lembeck in right, and then a pop-up to Savery to end the game and the series to send the Owls to Omaha for the sixth time in eleven years.

RALLY TIME!!!! CELEBRATION TIME AT THE RECK

Lehmann drops a surprise bunt with two outs and the third baseman back.
After Savery's walk, Dodson comes through on the first pitch, grounding it just past a diving A & M shortstop.
Danny Lehmann is obviously delighted after scoring the winning run.

Dodson is mobbed at far rightby Friday and Luna.

Lehmann and Henley embrace--and the secret is out--look at the rally hats!
Lehmann and Henley overjoyed--and so is Brian Friday.

YES! Tyler's arms raised in "V" fpr victory.
Lehmann scores the winning run in the 10th.

Heartbreak. . . Then Ecstasy

Friday shows his disappointment in being called out on a close play at third.

Look at Friday's face after Lehmann scored the winning run.

FROM HEARTBREAKER TO HEARTSTOPPER

Dodson’s hit in the 10th wins it for Rice; one away from CWS

By Mark Anderson

Jordan Dodson’s late inning heroics in the last two innings brought the Owls back from what seemed like certain defeat to a heart stopping win over the #6 Aggies by a score of 3-2.

The Aggies got off to a 2-0 lead over Ryan Berry and the Owls in the second and third innings. Blake Stouffer opened the second with a double to right. He moved to third when Stintson grounded out to Savery at first, and scored as Anders singled to right to make it 1-0 for the Aggies.

They added to their lead in the third when Colligan doubled down the left field line with two outs. Hicks followed Colligan with another double to left to make the score 2-0 for the men in maroon.

David Newman and Ryan Berry then battled each other pitch for pitch. Over 6 innings, Newman gave up only 3 hits and walked nine, but had extra base runners in the form of a hit batter and three errors, 2 by shortstop Brandon Hicks and one by third baseman Brian Ruggiano. Berry lasted seven and a third innings, giving up six hits while striking out ten and walking two.

Whatever momentum the Owls seemed to pick up in the seventh was lost at a close play at third. Friday opened with a single to left. Gayhart laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Friday to second with one out. Jess Buenger then hit a fly ball to right, and Friday tagged up—but the relay throw nipped him for the third out.

In the bottom of the ninth, however, Jordan Dodson led off with a single through the left side. Henley sacrificed Dodson to second. Seastrunk singled to right to bring Dodson in just ahead of the throw and tie the game at 2-2. Friday followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Seastrunk to second with the potential go-ahead run. But Gayhart ended up grounding out to end the ninth.

The tenth inning was nothing short of a miraculous comeback by the Owls. Buenger lined out to first to open the inning off. Luna grounded out to third for the second out. Danny Lehmann came to the plate and dropped a perfect bunt down third to get a runner on. Joe Savery followed with a walk to move Lehmann to second. That brought up Jordan Dodson, who had singled to open the ninth. The Aggies brought in hard throwing righty Gary Campfield, who threw only one pitch—the one Dodson got through the hole between short and third. Danny Lehmann looked at Graham as he took off, and had no intent of stopping, sliding in with the winning run as the throw was offline.

Matt Langwell takes the hill tomorrow for Rice to try and clinch a trip to Omaha for the Owls.

RICE-A & M SUPER REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Houston Super Regional
Texas A&M (48-17) at No. 2 seed Rice (52-12)
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: Saturday, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 3: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2), if necessary

INTERVIEW WITH RYAN BERRY AFTER SATURDAY'S WIN AGAINST TCU

Here is the interview of Ryan Berry done right after the Owls beat TCU on Saturday:

http://ricefootball.net/tcu6-2.wav

Hear what he had to say about the job he did on the mound and other tidbits here.

INTERVIEWS WITH JOE SAVERY AND BOBBY BRAMHALL FOLLOWING THE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Here's the interview with Bobby Bramhall, who earned the nail-biting save against TCU, and Joe Savery, the outstanding player of this regional. Listen to their comments by clicking here:

http://ricefootball.net/tcu6-3.wav

INTERVIEWS WITH TYLER HENLEY AND MATT LANGWELL FROM FRIDAY

Here is the link to hear what Tyler Henley had to say about the adventures in the outfield and his home run to start the Owls off, and Matt Langwell had to say after his seven innings of shutout ball against PVAM:

http://ricefootball.net/pvamu6-1.wav

SUPER!!!!!

OWLS LEAP FROG OVER HORNED FROGS TO ADVANCE
Savery’s Gutty Pitching, Timely Hitting, Help Owls Advance to Super-Regional Round

By Mark Anderson

The Rice Owls became the first national seed to sweep all three games and advance into the super-regionals with a 3-1 victory over #16 TCU on Sunday evening.

The Owls scored a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth as Savery led off with a double to left. Diego Seastrunk then doubled to bring Savery in and make it a tie game. Buenger followed with a single, and Diego Seastrunk was declared out at the plate on a very controversial call (see the photo section “Safe or Out?” for pictures of this play). The Owls could do no more damage, so the score was 1-0, Owls.

Joe Savery’s day was nothing short of super. Over seven innings, he gave up only six hits and a walk. He wiggled out of threat after threat. In the bottom of the fourth, however, the Frogs had the bases loaded. Ben Carruthers hit a sacrifice fly that was ruled a sacrifice fly and error when Tyler Henley, after a long run, could not hold the ball stretching out as fully as he could. But with runners on all the bases, and one out, Steglich hit a made-to-order double play that got the Owls out of the inning and Savery off the hook.

In the sixth inning, the Owls took the lead they would never relinquish as Savery opened the inning and weas safe on an error by shortstop Kervin. Diego Seastrunk laid down a great bunt that advanced Savery to second and brought Aaron Luna to the plate. Luna had been the player of the week during the championship tournament, but couldn’t seem to buy a base hit in the regionals. However, when all the chips were down, Luna delivered an RBI single that scored Savery with the go-ahead run and put the Owls up for good.

After Trout singled to open the eighth, Coach Graham brought in Bobby Bramhall in relief of Joe Savery. Talk about playing it just right—Bramhall induced a ground ball from Friday to Buenger to Lehmann on the very first pitch. He then stuck out Adams to end the inning and preserve the lead.

The ninth got a little dicey for Bramhall and the Owls. After Vern struck out to open the inning, Woodruff reached on Seastrunk’s error, and was replaced, interestingly enough, by McGuirk, who had ignited the TCU rally against Baylor with a grand slam in the ninth inning in the first game. Kervin then walked to bring the tying run to the plate in the person of Ben Carruthers. But Bramhall got Carruthers to hit a line drive straight to Luna in left for out number two, and only Austin Adams stood between the Owls and a regional championship. Bramhall took a deep breath on a 3-2 pitch and struck out Adams swinging to end the ball game and begin the celebration on the field.

For the record: this was a great regional tournament to view. Prairie View had Rice on the ropes and seeminly ready to surprise them until their defense was their undoing. Baylor almost came from behind to beat TCU in the opening game of the series. And who will forget McGuirk's bases loaded homer that helped the Frogs leap into the title game? And even in the title game, the Frogs threatened again and again, only to have those threats wiped away.

The Owls opponent for the super-regional has yet top be determined. Game one is Friday.

They Said It. . .

"I'm going home and take my high blood pressure medicine."--Wayne Graham, moments before going in to be interviewed after the game.

"Do you want a sandwich?" -- Travis Reagan, talking to the TCU pitcher in the eighth inning to encourage him to pitch instead of throwing to first.

"This is what it is all about." --Bobby Bramhall, on what it was like to be out on the mound in a tense ninth inning.

Savery threw a masterpiece and showed zip on his fastball, touching 96 mph on the gun.
Gayhart drills one.
Gayhart about to touch first, and the throw isn't there yet.
On top of piching well, Savery had a great day at the plate.
The team looks on during play.

OK. . . YOU MAKE THE CALL--SAFE OR OUT????

Lehmann tells Seastrunk, "Get down!"
Diego starts the slide. . . and the catcher does not have the ball at this point.
Catcher has ball and blocks home plate, but seems to have missed something--the tag. It is also possible that Diego's hand got under the catcher and touched the plate.
Diego may have missed something here too--namely, the plate. Several different camera angles have him touching it. If he missed the plate, and the catcher missed the tag, he is neither safe nor out until one or the other happens.
What's the call?
Use the comment section on the blog and give your opinion! Anyone with a clearer angle is invited to submit their pic.

CELEBRATION ON THE OWLS' BENCH

Jared Gayhart receives congrats from the Owls after his home run.

Notice who's nearby to give congrats-Ry-an Ber-ry!
Danny Lehmann gave the umps something they couldn't doubt--a home run to seal the game.


Think Danny was happy?



Notice who is there to give Danny congrats--Cole St. Clair.

A SIZE 15 SHOE HELPS PICK OFF TCU RUNNER

Look closely--his hand was never on the bag.

Joe has applied the tag and now sweeps it by him. Look at his right hand and Joe's size 15 foot.

This is the tag. . . and Joe's size 15 right foot is in the way of the runner's right hand. It never touched first.

More coverage soon

Duie to a time crunch on my end, I wil add pics and game story from last night as soons as possible. Hang in there!

In the mean time,root the Owls on as they play in the championship game at 6 pm tonighht against either TCU or Baylor.

MUDDING 101 in RF

Adams makes a terrific catch in right.
ABOVE: Adams holds up the ball for all--incuding Diego--to see.

Adams didn't catch them all--this one went hydroplaning away.

HOW WET WAS IT?????

Just when you thought it couldn't get anyworse. . . it did. The sprinklers went off during the meeting with the umpires before the game.
Welcome to the right field swamp.

Jordon Dodson sees his reflection in the left field lake--and he got his wish with a win over TCU Saturday night. Look closely and you can see the reflections of Jordan and the signs in the water.

Owls vs. PVAM game 2

Owls vs. PVAM game 2

The Zebra vs. the Lion: Baylor-TCU pics game 1

The Zebra vs. the Lion: Baylor-TCU pics game 1

RICE REGIONALS GAME 2

Langwell, Henley, Lead Owls Past PVAM
Early Home Run, PVAM Defense Give Owls 4-0 Win

By Mark Anderson

Matt Langwell continued his streak of excellent pitching and Tyler Henley hit a home run in the first inning to lead the Rice Owls past Prairie View in Friday’s second game of the Rice Regional.

Langwell was nothing short of masterful on the mound against Prairie View. It is the third straight outing he has had in which he has not allowed an earned run, dropping his ERA to a gaudy 1.73. Diego Seastrunk’s imitation of Brooks Robinson on one play, and solid defense in particular, sealed PVAM’s fate.

But for PVAM, their defense was more like a leaky sieve than anything else. PVAM committed six errors in all. It had been adventurous in the outfield all day, with a swirling wind. But at twilight, a swirling wind and changing light conditions undid the outfield for Prairie View as they committed four errors, two by Robert Tolan and two by Mylan Richard.

But to PVAM’s credit, the Owls hit the ball extremely hard in the early innings, but could not add to the run total. An “at-em” ball by Joe Savery (perhaps the hardest hit ball of the night) along with one by Aaron Luna and another by Jess Buenger, all turned into outs.

The game had a feel that PVAM could strike back until the seventh inning, which was absolutely their undoing. Dodson opened the inning with a walk, and Brian Friday was hit by a pitch as he attempted to bunt. Gayhart laid down a bunt, and Matthew Chase threw the ball wildly to first, and then the rightfielder for PVAM threw wildly again over the catcher and the pitcher backing up home plate to allow both Dodson and Friday to score.

In the eighth, the circus continued in the outfield for PVAM as Buenger reached first as rightfielder Robert Tolan dropped the ball. After Padron moved Buenger up to second on a bunt, Myrio Richards, who had been in centerfield, moved to left, and Lehmann’s fly ball—normally an easy out—was caught by the wind and complicated by the twilight. Richard dropped it and runners ended up on second and third. Dodson was then hit by a pitch, and then Friday hit another fly ball that centerfielder Kendricks caught on the run in deep center to bring home Dodson again and make the score 5-0.

Game three of the Rice Regional pits PVAM against Baylor in the 2 pm game tomorrow, and Rice takes on TCU at 6pm.

Rice Regional Tournament:Baylor vs. TCU, game 1

Zebras Can’t Catch Frogs
2 Homers Power TCU

By Mark Anderson

The Baylor Bears have taken on the motif of a zebra. This motif came about as a result of a Baylor booster who gave the team a picture of a zebra catching a lion, in spite of being the underdog to do so because of a lack of speed on the zebra’s part. The Baylor booster told the team, “You are the underdogs.”

They may be “zebras” but they just missed catching the TCU Horned Frogs Friday in the first game of the Rice Regional. Back to back home runs in the seventh inning by Andrew Walker and Matt Vern broke open a 1-1 tie.

Baylor, however, came roaring back in the ninth as Beamer Weems shifted momentum to the Bears with a lead-off no doubter home run to pull within a run. A walk to Czmiskey seemed to be meaningless as Dickerson flied out to center. But pinch-hitter Matt Sodolak singled, putting runners on first and second. Hansen flied out, but Miles walked to load the bases and bring up leadoff hitter Ben Booker. But that’s where the Bears played out the true nature of a zebra as Booker struck out swinging to end the rally and the game.

Jake Arrieta was spectacular as the starter, giving up only two hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked four. Sam Demel got the win in relief for the Frogs.

Baylor will play PVAM tomorrow at 2 pm, while TCU plays Rice in the 6pm game. The loser of the Baylor-PVAM game will be eliminated from the tournament.