Feb. 7, 2002
Box Score
HOUSTON, Texas - Rice and Baylor both picked up where they left off last year, playing a classic 12-inning slugfest in each team's season opener. In the end, it was the Owls who came out on top with a 10-9 victory Thursday in the second annual Astros College Classic, played at Enron Field.
Reminiscent of the games of last year's regional, Rice jumped to a seemingly insurmountable lead only to watch the Baylor bats wake up and bring the team back.
The Owls (1-0) got to Baylor starter Justin Taylor early, scoring three runs in the first two innings. In the fourth, Rice centerfielder A.J. Porfirio sent a Taylor offering into Enron Field's Crawford boxes pushing the Owls' lead to 7-0.
Baylor (0-1) answered in its half of the fourth when Ross Bennett and Ron Zboril hit back-to-back RBI singles scoring Paul Richmond and Mike Huggins.
Tim Hartshorn's three-run homer in the Bears' seventh plated Paul Witt and Trey Webb and narrowed the Rice lead to 9-5. The homer for Hartshorn was one of five hits on the day for the senior, tying the Baylor record for hits in a game.
The Bears stormed back in the eighth, scoring four runs and bringing 10 batters to the plate. Eric Errante's sacrifice fly to right field scored Webb to tie the game at 9.
The Bears wasted a golden chance later that same inning, leaving the bases loaded after Mike Huggins struck out.
Baylor again had a great opportunity in its half of the tenth when Huggins tripled to right-center field with one out. However after Ross Bennett popped out to the shortstop, Michael Griffin's bid to bring in the winning run was denied by a superb defensive play by Rice shortstop Jose Enrique Cruz.
Kyle Edens (0-1) threw four strong innings but gave up a leadoff homerun to Dane Bubela (brother of former Baylor star Jaime Bubela) in the 11th, giving Rice a 10-9 lead. Three pitchers came out of the Baylor bullpen: freshman Trey Taylor, sophomore Cody Hall and Edens. The trio combined to pitch eight innings in relief, striking out nine batters and allowing just one earned run.
Rice got strong bullpen work from Justin Crowder (1-0) as he enticed Chris Durbin to hit into a game-ending double play, giving the Owls their first win of the season.
Webb finished the day 4-for-6 with two runs scored, while Bennett added three hits in six at-bats.
It was the third time in four games that the schools have played one-run games, Baylor defeated Rice in a simillar come-from-behind contest last season, only to lose two days later by a single run as Rice rallied to win in the regional championship.
The Bears continue play at the Astros College Classic Friday at 4 p.m. when they face the University of Houston.
