BATON ROUGE — Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year Joe Savery allowed only two runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings and the Rice Owls scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to stave off an LSU rally, 9-7, on Saturday night in the NCAA Regional.
Rice (43-17) advanced to within one win of the NCAA Regional, while LSU (39-21) lost to the Owls for the fifth time in six postseason games and will face Northwestern State on Sunday at 1 p.m. in an elimination game.
Savery (8-4), a freshman, threw 136 pitches, striking out 10 and walking only one to earn the victory.
LSU starter Greg Smith (10-3) was charged with the loss, giving up eight runs — six earned — on seven hits and two walks. He struck out four batters in six innings.
The Tigers trailed 9-1 after seven innings before rallying for six in the top of the eighth to cut the lead 9-7. The Tigers brought the tying run to the plate three times in the ninth inning and went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
Rice’s Lance Pendleton was 2-for-4 at the plate with two two-RBI doubles and a run scored to lead the Owls.
LSU’s Ryan Patterson was 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI including a three-run home run. However, his only unsuccessful plate appearance came with two out in the top of the ninth on a check-swing called strike three that was not appealed by the home plate umpire.
Tigers pinch hitter Blake Gill also hit a three-run home run as part of the six-run eighth.
Smith, who got out of a two-on one-out jam in the bottom of the first, faced the same in the bottom of the second inning when Clay Reichenbach and Adam Hale each singled with one out. A walk to Jordan Dodson loaded the bases for No. 9 hitter Lance Pendleton, whose double to left field gave Rice a 2-0 lead. With runners on second and third, Tyler Henley laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Dodson from third.
LSU trailed 3-0.
Savery stream-rolled through the first 3 1/3 innings, striking out five before giving up an RBI single to Nick Stavinoha in the top of the fourth. However, a double-play ground ball ended the Tigers threat.
Rice answered with another two-RBI double by Pendleton in the next frame to increase the advantage to 5-1. Hale led off the inning with a double and Dodson walked before both came around to score on Pendleton’s fourth RBI of the evening.
LSU mounted a rally in the top of the sixth when Chris Jackson and Ryan Patterson each singled to put two on with one out. But, again, Savery stepped up to the challenge by striking out his ninth batter of the game and getting the next to pop-up to the shortstop.
The Owls chased Smith in the bottom of the seventh by loading the bases on a hit batsman and consecutive errors on fielder’s choices on bunts. LSU catcher Matt Liuzza pulled shortstop Michael Hollander off the bag on Henley’s bunt before third baseman Chris Jackson muffed Smith’s throw to third on Greg Buchanan’s bunt.
With LSU reliever Jordan Faircloth on the mound, Rodriguez hit a two-RBI single on the first pitch to plate Henley and Pendleton and push the lead to 7-1. Savery batted for himself and popped out, advancing Buchanan to third. Buchanan then scored on a wild pitch, while Rodriguez advanced to third. Danny Lehmann’s ground out RBI scored Rodriguez and made the score 9-1.
Savery exited after allowing a one-out single to Jackson in the top of the eighth, starting an LSU rally. Cole St. Clair entered in relief but did not record an out, as he allowed three hits and a walk to allow the Tigers back into the game. Mayer walked to put runners on first and second before Patterson blasted his 20th home run of the season over the left field foul pole to cut the lead to 9-4.
Clay Harris singled and Stavinoha laced a double down the left field line to send St. Clair out of the game. He was replaced by Bobby Bell, who struck out Quinn Stewart before allowing the second three-run home run of the inning to pinch hitter Blake Gill.
The Owls led 9-7 when Liuzza struck out to end the side.
After Faircloth allowed a single to open the bottom of the eighth, All-America reliever Jason Determann came in and got three straight outs to send the Tigers to the ninth.
Trailing by two runs, pinch hitter Derek Hebert singled to left and advanced to second when Hale’s throw went astray. One out later, Hebert advanced to third on a wild pitch. However, Bell struck out Mayer and Patterson to end the game.