The Rice Thresher, Vol. 97, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, April 9, 2010 Page: 15 of 32
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Sports
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15
Owls down Houston, claw way to conference tops
One-hitter complete game gem by Wall starts baseball team on three-game Cougar sweep
«PI
by Ry
Thi
an Glassman
~h res her Staff
Freshman Michael Ratterree hits against Dallas Baptist University Tuesday night. Rice's loss to DBU ended
the team's five-game win streak that included three wins over Houston. That sweep was capped off by a ^th-
inning walkoff home run by freshman Craig Manuel, his first career homer.
COMMENTARY
Opening week ushers hope for golden age
We've survived it. "The Decade
from Hell," as Time called it. The
2000s — or Aughts, or Double-O's,
or whatever you want to call them
— were not for the faint of heart.
Sparkling towers felled by manned
missiles; a pair of wars foisted with
thought to neither fiscal or physical
costs; a hurricane turning America's
soul, New Orleans, into a watery, ran-
sacked shell.
No, it wasn't for the faint. And it
sure as hell took long enough.
But that's that. That time is past,
relegated to the Facebooks, er, history
books of future students, the You-
Tube trend-hoppers who will wonder
and marvel at just how screwed up,
and how exploratory, the time truly
was. The decade was sour-faced and
petulant, tragic and trying, but here
we are — one week into the new de-
cade. One week into another stab at
this thing called civilization.
What's that? You claim we're four
months in? Ah, I suppose 1 should
back up for a second. See. within the
pages of this sports section, there are
no Gregorian or Julian calendars to
stand by. We don't mark our days by
the turns of the moon or the rise of
the sun. No, we set our watches to the
Ruthian clock, the Doubleday dips of
time — to the season of baseball.
And it makes sense, if you think
about it. A writer far wiser than my-
self once noted that baseball mirrors
the seasons our ancestors witnessed
— the hope, springing eternal, of a
bright spring day; the slow waxing of
Casey Michel
Thresher Staff
the balmy summer months; the rush
and the scramble of the fall, a time
to reap what is sown during sunnier
times; and the dormancy of winter,
when you can't but pine for both the
year past and the year to come.
So here it is: Opening Week.
Another shot at getting it right, at
planting ourselves on grounds of
trust and hope and optimism. On
trying this whole fandom thing out,
one more time.
Because last decade was just as
hard on baseball fans, and probably
harder, than any other demographic
littering the census forms. Now, I'm
not saying that our struggles sur-
passed those in the post-Katrina
tribes or those threading the Afghani
cliffs. They weren't, and it's ridicu-
lous to think otherwise. But check out
what we went through.
We had Mark McGwire's tears,
Rafael Palmeiro's finger and Sammy
Sosa's stuttering turning their cir-
cular logic into a circus of steroids.
Barry Bonds unleashed all that is ar-
rogant and unholy on the most sacred
number in the record books, against
the most distinguished character the
game has ever seen. The Red Sox and
the Yankees, the two top-shelf-selfish
teams in the league, combined for
four titles in 10 years. It was enough
to make you wonder if the baseball
gods had gone Rip Van Winkle on us,
snoozing through the decade.
The game fell. Our heroes turned
into imposters. Our glories turned
into goats, turned into ghosts, turn-
ing the national pastime into a
national shame. The implosion of the
Expos. The secrets of the Oakland A's
put on display for big-market clubs to
63 see DECADE, page 18
As the calendar turns to April and
school's end comes into sight, the
schedule is just heating up for the base-
ball team. At the midway point of the
regular season, all concentration shifts
to the conference schedule, as Confer-
ence USA foes become the focus of the
squad's attention.
Conference play began slowly for
the Owls (17-13) two weeks ago at the
University of Memphis, as Rice dropped
the first two games of the weekend se-
ries to the Tigers (13-16). But in the tail
end of a Saturday doubleheader, the
Owls' offense erupted for 13 runs as Rice
cruised to an easy 13-4 win to salvage
the final game of the series.
Rice followed up the victory with a
7-2 win on the road against Lamar Uni
versity, as six Owls pitchers combined
to hold the Cardinals (17-12) to just two
runs. But this game would prove just
a precursor for a crucial three-game
weekend conference series against
crosstown rival University of Houston
at Reckling Park last weekend.
The Owls sent sophomore ace Tay-
lor Wall to the hill on Thursday eve-
ning against Houston (13-14), and the
southpaw was simply brilliant, piecing
together by far the best outing of the
season for a Rice pitcher. Wall threw a
complete game one-hitter, shutting out
the Cougars while striking out seven
batters in the Owls' 6-0 victory.
Wall, whose elevated ERA does not
do justice to how well he has pitched
thus far this season, attributed the stel-
lar performance to a few words of wis-
dom from his coach.
"Coach [Wayne] Graham called me
into his office about a week ago and
said, 'You're not having fun out there.
You've got to have fun to throw the
baseball,"' Wall said. "[Thursday] I was
just relaxed and having fun and just
went out there and pounded the [strike]
zone and just made it easy."
The series-opening win pulled Rice's
conference record to 2-2.
Friday evening saw another vic-
tory for the Owls; junior Abe Gonza-
les threw five and a third shutout in-
nings of relief following a solid outing
from senior Jared Rogers, with Rice at
11-2. The balanced offensive attack was
paced by sophomore Jeremy Rathjen
and freshman Michael Ratterree, who
each drove in three runs in the game.
Seniors Steven Sultzbaugh, Diego Sea-
strunk and Jimmy Comerota, as well
as junior Rick Hague, all had multi-hit
games as seven different Owls notched
at least one RBI in the winning effort.
63 see BASEBALL, page 18
Outdoor track begins with
record-setting weekends
by Natalie Clericuzio
Thresher Editorial Staff
As the saying goes, everything's big-
ger in Texas. Even track meets.
Last weekend, the women's track
team competed in the 83rd-annual
Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin,
the second-largest track meet in the na-
tion, behind only the historic Penn Re-
lays in size.
Senior Britany Williams led Rice's
effort, placing second overall in the
women's 1500-meter run with 4 min-
utes 26.48 seconds, a lifetime best.
Senior Shakera Reece also posted an
impressive time, 11.61, in the 100-meter
dash, earning her a season-best time
and fifth place. Junior Kimberly Stan-
ford posted a lifetime-best time in the
sprint hurdles, 13.93. Additionally, in
the distance medley relay, the team of
sophomores Sophie Peeters and Marie
Thompson, freshman Lilian Nwora and
senior Vicki Walker placed sixth overall
with a time of 11:57.13.
According to Williams, the team
wanted to represent Rice well at
the meet.
"1 wanted to at least do well in front
of a big crowd because it's always good
to have Rice's name out there and have
people see it," Williams said. "I see it as
a way that we have to show face. It's like
a show and you have to play your part
and that's what I wanted to do. I wanted
to place well in my meet."
On March 26-27, the track team host-
ed and competed in the Victor Lopez
Classic, Rice's first home meet this sea-
son which is named for former 26-year
women's track head coach. This meet
was also the first to use the new track
surface and facility. After being under
construction last semester, the track
was completed in time for training for
indoor track to begin.
Head Coach Jim Bevan felt the meet
went well.
"We had two nice days and a chance
to fully compete as a team," Bevan said.
"We had victories by throwers and dis-
tance runners.... We got a lot of positive
remarks on the facility. It was the largest
attendance we've ever had and I think it
will continue to grow."
Junior Ari Ince performed well
throughout the weekend, earning a
first-place finish in the javelin and a
second-place finish in the pole vault. In
the javelin, Ince threw for 139' 9", a life-
time best. In the pole vault, her height
of 12' 11.5" earned her a lifetime best.
The success in field events contin-
ued for Rice, as senior Katie Dollinger
won the hammer throw with a lifetime
best, tossing for 165' 5". Junior Tina
Robinson placed third overall in the
hammer at 163' 7".
S3 see RECORDS, page 18
OWLOOK
This Week in Sports
Friday, April 9
Men's Tennis vs. Tulsa
1 p.m. — Jake Hess Tennis Stadium
Baseball atTulane
6:30 p.m. — New Orleans, La.
Saturday, April 10
Women's Track at UTEP Invitational
All Day — El Paso, Texas
Men's Track at UTEP Invitational
All Day — El Paso, Texas
Women's Tennis at SMU
Noon — Dallas
Baseball atTulane
6:30 p.m. — New Orleans, La.
Sunday, April 11
Women's Tennis at North Texas
11 a.m. — Denton, Texas
Men's Tennis vs. Oklahoma
1 p.m. — Jake Hess Tennis Stadium
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Wilde, Anna. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 97, No. 25, Ed. 1 Friday, April 9, 2010, newspaper, April 9, 2010; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398458/m1/15/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.