The Rice Owls are in a 'must-win' situation after losing Game One in the best-of-three, 12-9, Friday night in Baton Rouge at Alex Box Stadium.
If the Owls are going to have any chance of keeping their hopes alive for a game 3 with a chance to travel to Omaha and the College World Series, they will need to devise a recipe that will thwart the potent offense of the LSU Tigers.
The Tigers were led by Ryan Schimpf, who ignited a 6-run fifth-inning with a 3-run homer off Taylor Wall. Wall is scheduled to start Sunday if there a game three is needed.
Meanwhile, Ryan Berry, who is ranked 6th in the nation with a radar escaping 1.99 ERA, takes the mound on Saturday against Louis Coleman. He is believed to be the most talented pitcher in the LSU rotation and sports a 12-2 record. Coleman is also ranked 11th nationally in strikeouts with 119.
The Owls looked like world beaters going into the 4th inning as hurler Mike Ojada took the mound with a 3-run lead. However, it was in the same 4th inning that the Tigers began to chip away at what turned out two innings later to be an insignificant lead.
Great performances were the highlight for both teams. LSU's Anthony Renaudo looked imposing at 6'7" throwing for 7 2/3 innings and allowing 5 hits and 5 runs while striking out 9. But, Rice All-American third baseman, Anthony Rendon, (pictured above), even in a losing cause, proved why he was selected as Collegiate Baseball Magazine's Freshman of the Year. Rendon would finish 3-for-4, with 2 RBI, and a homerun. He would also score three times.
Here's how the game unfolded. Click here to see the condensed highlight package of Friday night's game on ESPN.
Game two first pitch on Saturday afternoon gets underway at 4:00 and will be televised on ESPN. While watching the game, we invite you to follow along with us on twitter.
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