Sports

Cougarsi Omaha dream deferred

Cougar Sports Services

The Cougars attempted to pull off the impossible. Beat the No. 1 team in the country on their home field against a pitcher that had already beaten them twice convincingly this season.

And the Rice Owls pushed them right out of the way en route to Omaha.

Rice starter Wade Townsend struck out nine while scattering four hits over eight innings to help lead Rice to a 5-2 win over the UH baseball team Monday in the championship game of the NCAA Super Regional at Reckling Park.

When sophomore pitcher Ryan Wagner looks back on his two-year career at UH, heill no doubt remember being one game away from the College World Series -- twice. Wagner was selected in the first round (15th overall, Cincinnati Reds) of the Major League Baseball draft.
With the loss, the Cougars ended their season with a 37-30 overall record. Rice improved to 53-11 overall and advanced to the NCAA College World Series, where it will meet Southwest State in a first-round match-up Saturday.

Townsend, who improved to 10-1, won for the third time this season against the Cougars. The sophomore righthander allowed only one hit after the third inning and retired 11 consecutive batters midway through the contest.

UH starter Brian Henderson, who was a seventh-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in last weekis amateur draft, gave up four runs (two earned) off three hits with a strikeout and walk in 3.2 innings and collected the loss drop to 5-5.

Chris Kolkhorst batted 2-for-5 and was the only player for either team to record more than one hit in the game.

UHis Matt Farrington batted 1-for-3 with a run and RBI, while Michael Bourn finished the day 1-for-4 with a run and triple.

The Cougars struck for the gameis first run in their initial at-bat, thanks to a hit and key Rice error. Farrington reached second on a Rice infield error and came around to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead on Travis Tullyis single to center field.

In the second, Rice took advantage of a Cougar miscue in the field to score two unearned runs and take a 2-1 lead.

The Cougars tied the game in the top of the third. Bourn slapped a triple that rolled to the wall in right center field and scored when Farrington lifted a sacrifice fly into right field.

In the next half-inning, Rice grabbed the lead again with two more runs off Dane Bubelais two-out, two-RBI single up the middle that scored Paul Janish and Austin Davis.

The Owls pushed their lead to 5-2 in the sixth inning on Justin Ruchtiis RBI single up the middle that scored Austin Davis, who drew a leadoff walk off UH reliever Garrett Mock.

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