James Beltran
Sports Editor
The No. 14-ranked Rice Owls' win over the Houston Cougars on Wednesday was as lopsided as a singing fat lady on a see-saw.
Unfortunately for the 1-6 Cougars, this fat lady began singing unusually early as Rice took advantage of an eight-run first to cruise to a 16-3 victory at Cameron Field.
The two-run homer from Rice's Jason Richards in the first inning was an immediate sign to UH that a 2-0 lead in the Silver Glove Series would not be an easy task. The following home run off Damon Thames' bat indicated it was impossible.
Fueled by these back-to-back shots, the Owls batted around in the first, scoring eight runs on eight hits.
Jesse Kurtz-Nicholl's three-run homer over the center field fence mercifully ceased the Owls' long-ball barrage, but the damage proved too overwhelming for a stagnant Houston offense that was held to two hits for the game.
Kris Wilken, trying to rebound from a rocky first collegiate pitching start last Wednesday, allowed the first five runners to reach base, leading to his eventual ousting after a third of an inning.
"In order to be successful, you must first hit rock bottom," said UH right fielder Eric Lee. "I think that Kris and I have hit rock bottom."
Lee, who is struggling with a .188 batting average, was 0-for-1 with a walk, including two errors in the field.
Wilken surrendered seven runs before Nick Torina came in and put out the fire - relatively speaking. Torina allowed only one run before recording the last two outs of the frame.
Strangely, the first inning nightmare could have been worse for UH, which has dropped its fourth straight game. The Owls were a few feet away from inflicting some extra damage on the reeling Houston pitching staff. The Cougars were fortunate that two other potential homers only reached the warning track.
"All Rice hitters are very dangerous," said UH first baseman Jayme Sperring. "If you make a mistake, they'll make you pay for it. They did that tonight."
The Houston offense managed one hit through the first six innings: a single to right field by Brandon Caraway. The sophomore left fielder was UH's only bright spot in the lineup, reaching base three times and scoring a run.
Rice tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning, with the Cougars only able to scratch one more run.
Caraway's walk in the fifth spurred UH's closest imitation to a rally (outside of a last-ditch ninth inning charity round). Fittingly, however, it came without a hit. After stealing second and advancing to third on Robert Dieudonne's fly out to center field, Caraway scored on a wild pitch.
Houston scored twice in the ninth, courtesy of a walk and a passed ball. The rally, which collected only one hit, ended with Justin Syfert striking out to end the game. UH left the bases loaded.
Rice pitcher Stephen Bess improved to 2-1 with the win, while Wilken dropped to 0-1 in his two starts.
The schedule doesn't get easier for Houston, as it faces the No. 5-ranked Oklahoma Sooners Friday at Cougar Field. It will be the fifth straight game the Cougars will face a top 20 opponent.