Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Rice
No. 8 Rice Completes Three-Game Sweep of Marshall
4/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 1, 2007
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HOUSTON, Texas - The Marshall baseball team dropped its sixth straight game in a 12-6 loss to No. 8 Rice in Conference USA action at Reckling Park on Sunday.
The Thundering Herd (14-11, 0-6) out-hit the Owls (22-10, 5-1) by an 8-7 tally, but committed four errors in the contest as it suffered its second straight C-USA sweep.
The Herd grabbed its first lead of the series in the top of the second inning. Brendan Murphy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) led off the frame with a double to deep center field, followed by a flare single to right by Brandon Casamassima (Colleyville, Texas). With runners on the corners, Blake Sanders (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) laid down a bunt that pitcher Joe Savery fielded on the first base side of the field, but threw the ball away in attempting to throw out Murphy at home.
Marshall added another run in the inning to take a 2-0 lead on a Nick Damas (Willow Springs, Ill.) RBI groundout that scored Casamassima.
Rice quickly answered the Marshall lead with seven runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Owls sent 12 hitters to the plate and chased Marshall starter Adam Dobies (Pittsburgh, Pa.) from the game.
The Owls continued to round the bases in the third, scoring four runs to take a commanding 11-2 lead. Left fielder Jordan Dodson hit a two-out, three-run home run in the frame, his team-leading sixth round tripper of the season.
Both teams posted a run in the sixth as the game entered the seventh inning with Rice holding a 12-3 lead.
Marshall crossed the plate three times in the eighth inning, highlighted by a Jeff Rowley (Buffalo, N.Y.) lead off double to the left field corner and a Nate Lape (Huntington, N.Y.) two RBI triple to center field. Marshall's three-spot in the eighth would be the game's final runs.
Six Marshall pitchers entered the game, none going longer than two innings. Dobies (2-3) pitched 1.2 innings with four hits and seven earned runs. Savery upped his record to 4-1 after his seven-inning, five-hit, zero-earned run performance with seven strikeouts.
Dodson drove in a game-high four runs in his 2-for-5 afternoon. For Marshall, Murphy, Casamassima and reserve Josh Valle (Brentwood, N.Y.) collected two hits apiece.
The Herd will step out of conference play for a pair of mid-week games on the road, taking on Louisville on Tuesday and Ohio on Wednesday.
