The third‑seeded Rice Owls snatched a 5‑4 victory over seventh‑seeded Wichita State in the American Baseball Championship, a game that swung back and forth until the final inning.
Wichita State drew first blood in the second frame, capitalizing on a sacrifice fly by Kaleb Duncan, but the Owls answered immediately with RBI singles from Kutter‑Gage Webb and Lorenzo Rios to take a 2‑1 lead.
Owen Washburn’s solo homer in the third tied the contest, and Zeb Henry’s RBI single in the fourth put the Shockers ahead 3‑2, only for Rice to narrow the gap in the sixth with another Webb hit.
The decisive moment arrived in the ninth, when Webb launched a solo home run to level the score and a subsequent throwing error gifted the game‑winning run, completing a dramatic comeback.
Key performances
Webb finished with three RBIs and a home run, complemented by strong contributions from Lorenzo Rios and the pitching staff, while Brady Hamilton took the loss after surrendering the decisive runs.
Reliever Zachary Fetchel sealed the win with two shutout innings, while starter Tanner Wiggins worked five solid frames and Carson Kuhn added two scoreless outs from the bullpen.
Rice now turns its attention to a showdown with second‑seeded East Carolina, while Wichita State awaits the loser of the UTSA‑UAB or Memphis matchup to determine their next opponent.