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COLLEGE BASEBALL
2012 Game No. 40
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Tenth-inning blast sinks
Pirates
From staff and electronic reports
View the Mobile Alpha version of this report.
Craig Manuel wasn't a starter in Rice's game
against East Carolina on Saturday. Instead, he was a finisher.
The senior catcher, who entered the game as a pinch
hitter in the 6th inning, swatted a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to
give the Owls a 6-2 victory before an announced crowd of 3,665 at Reckling
Park.
Combined with
Friday's 2-0 win over the Pirates (26-13-1 Conference USA, 8-5-1), the
outcome clinched the weekend series for Rice (30-11, 11-3) and kept the Owls
apace with co-leader Central Florida (33-8, 11-3) in the league standings.
J.T. Chargois (3-1), who started the
game at first base, got the win after switching to the mound in
the 9th and hurling two innings of shutout relief. The junior
righthander fanned three and gave up only one hit. A
switch-hitter, Chargois helped his cause at the plate, going
2-for-4 with an RBI and scoring on Manuel's decisive homer after
leading off the 10th with a single.
Tanner Merritt (2-3) took over for East Carolina
starter Tyler Joyner in the 6th and absorbed the defeat. In addition to
Manuel's grand slam, Merritt served up a round-tripper to sophomore third
baseman Shane Hoelscher in the 8th that erased a 2-1 ECU lead. The sophomore
righthander struck out two and gave up five runs, four earned, on five hits,
two walks and a hit batsman over 3 1/3 innings.
Before giving way to Merritt, Joyner struck out
four and surrendered one run on five hits with no walks and one hit batsman
in 5 2/3 innings.
The Pirates grabbed a 1-0 lead in first when
sophomore designated hitter Drew Reynolds singled to center and junior first
baseman John Wooten drove him home with a double.
Rice answered by scratching out a run in the bottom
of the third. Christian Stringer led off with a double to center, moved to
third on an infield out and charged to the plate on a sacrifice fly by
Chargois.
East Carolina reestablished a one-run lead in the
top of the 8th. Wooten led off with a single to left, took second on a
sacrifice bunt by junior outfielder Jay Cannon and advanced to third on a
single up the middle by senior catcher Zach Wright. Wooten then scored on a
single by junior outfielder Philip Clark.
But the lead lasted only until Hoelscher's
game-tying homer in the bottom of the inning.
In the Rice half of the 10th, the stage was set for
the dramatic ending when the first three batters reached safely. After
Chargois led off the frame with a single up the middle, junior outfielder
Jeremy Rathjen got to first when his fielder's choice bunt was misplayed by
Merritt, allowing Chargois to to take second. Both runners advanced a base
on a wild pitch, opening up a spot at first for Hoelscher, who was
intentionally walked. Manuel then stepped to the plate and launched his
homer to right field.
The teams wrap up their series on Sunday (12 p.m.)
BOX SCORE #40
Rice 6, East Carolina 2 (10
innings)
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ECU SID GAME STORY
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RU SID GAME STORY
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012
Venue: Reckling Park, Houston, TX
Attendance: 3,665
Records: ECU 26-13-1, 8-5-1 Conference USA;
RU 30-11, 11-3.
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