Rice University’s baseball team defeated Charlotte 6-2 on April 11, securing a series victory. The game took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Rice scoring in five of the first six innings.
The win brings Rice’s record to 22-14, marking the first time since the end of the 2016 season that the team is eight games above .500. Rice established an early lead in the second inning after Landis Davila drew a two-out walk and Cole Green doubled down the left field line, allowing Davila to score from first base. Colin Robson followed with a single up the middle to bring in Green for a quick 2-0 advantage.
Charlotte threatened in their half of the second inning by putting runners on the corners with two outs. Todd Hudson hit a long fly ball to left field, but Jacob Devenny prevented three runs by catching it at the wall. In subsequent innings, Rice continued its offense as Hiram Bocachica Jr., Kutter-Gage Webb, and Devenny contributed hits that extended their lead.
Ethan Sanders pitched six innings and struck out six batters for his second win of the season (2-4). Ty Thames entered in relief during the seventh inning and recorded his third save by getting nine consecutive outs. Joseph Taylor took the loss for Charlotte (4-4).
With this victory, Rice improved its away record to 10-8 and joined UTSA as one of only two American Conference teams with winning records away from home this season. Several players had notable performances: Colin Robson went three-for-five at bat—his fifth three-hit game—and has reached base in ten straight games; Cole Green extended his own streaks with two hits and twelve consecutive games reaching base; Hiram Bocachica Jr. collected his fourth multi-hit game; JC Davis increased his on-base streak to twelve games; and Landis Davila led Rice over eleven recent games with eleven runs batted in.
Rice will aim for a series sweep against Charlotte on April 12 at noon Central Time. The final game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
