BATON ROUGE — Seventh-ranked Rice hit two home runs including a two-run shot in the bottom of the fourth inning by shortstop Josh Rodriguez that broke a 3-3 tie, as the Owls advanced with a 7-3 victory over Northwestern State on Friday evening at Alex Box Stadium.
No. 2 seed Rice (42-17) advanced to face No. 1 seed LSU at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the winners bracket, while No. 3 seed Northwestern State (40-19) fell into an elimination game against Marist at 1 p.m.
Rice starter Josh Geer (11-4) went the distance for the victory, scattering eight hits and walking only one to earn his fourth complete game of the season. He struck out six and allowed only two earned runs.
Demons reliever Shawn Johnston (2-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 3 3/2 innings.
The Demons jumped on Geer in the top of the first, collecting a pair of hits and the lead. After a two-out double down the left field line by Bran Morgan, third baseman Clay Reichenbach overthrew first base on a ground ball by Blake Jones and allowed Morgan to score from second. The error gave Northwestern State a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning, Rice responded with a two-out double by second baseman Greg Buchanan against Northwestern State starter Daniel Lonsberry. Lonsberry then walked the bases loaded before allowing a free pass to left fielder Adam Hale to drive in Bechanan and tie the game at 1-1. However, Lonsberry snared a line drive off the bat of Rodriguez to end the inning.
In the top of the fourth, Northwestern State’s Mart Dewees broke the tie with a two-out single off Geer, scoring Bob Barbier who reached on a double.
The Owls took their first lead of the tournament, 3-2, in the next inning. After right fielder Lance Pendleton was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count, Reichenbach atoned for his error by hitting a two-run homer off the top of the left-field wall. The home run was his fourth of the season. Rice chased Lonsberry with a single by center fielder Tyler Henley and a walk to Buchanan.
Johnston ended the Rice rally by retiring the next two batters.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Northwestern State tied the game at 3-3 with a leadoff home run over the left field wall by Morgan.
However, Rice took it back with a two-run homer by Rodriguez off Johnston in the bottom of the seventh. Hale reached base by virtue of a walk just before the towering shot over the left-field bleachers that game the Owls a 5-3 lead.
Johnston was chased from the game in the bottom of the eighth when a single by Pendleton and a pair of fielding errors by the Demons scored one run and increased the deficit to 6-3.
Northwestern State’s Daniel Desclouds entered in relief and got two outs before an RBI single by designated hitter Adam Rodgers gave the Owls their final run.