Oklahoma State University Athletics
Rice Outlasts Cowboys in Extra Innings, 13-12
April 03, 2003 | Cowboy Baseball
Oklahoma State took a four-run lead in the first inning, with a grand slam home run from first baseman Tony Lucca. Rice would later answer with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning.
In the eighth inning, Billy Gasparino sparked three consecutive home runs, including Lucca's second in the game and Marc Fournier's first as a Cowboy. This gave the Cowboys a three run lead. Rice answered in the bottom of the eighth with three runs of its own, tying the game at 11.
In first extra inning, OSU jumped to the early lead only to be matched by Rice in the bottom half of the inning.
In the bottom of the twelfth, Rice's Jason Richards scored on a close call at the plate from OSU center fielder Matt Mabrey to catcher Rusty Puffinbarger.
"As gut wrenching as it was to lose, the bottom line is, we played the game right even though we gave up leads. They kept running at us, so we would have to stabilize the game and stop the bleeding," head coach Tom Holliday.
The Cowboys will continue play in the Big Ball Classic on Sunday, Feb. 15, against Virginia at 1 p.m.
Rice 13, Oklahoma State 12
Oklahoma State 400 040 031 000 - 12 16 3
Rice 300 023 031 001 - 13 15 5
Adkins, Prata (6), Bludau (9) and Holliday, Puffinbarger (12). Nichols, Gwyn (5), Terrana (6), Nemer (8), Baugh (8), Hodge (9), Kurtz-Nicholl (12) and Curry, Brown (6).
WP- Nicholl, 1-0. L- Bludau, 0-1. Sv.-None. HR- OSU- Gasparino (1), Lucca 2 (2), Mabrey (1). RU- Crosby 2 (3), Hodge (2).
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