Rice Defeats South Florida in Conference Opener – Owls Start American Athletic Conference Play with a Win
TAMPA, Fla. – Rice University’s baseball team defeated the University of South Florida 5-4 in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Friday, March 20, 2026. Rice Athletics reports that Tanner Wiggins pitched 6.0 innings, and Mason Ashlock hit his first career home run to secure the victory.
Game Recap
Wiggins was efficient early, needing only 16 pitches to complete the first two innings. South Florida took the lead in the third inning when Jevin Relaford singled, stole second, and scored on a double by Ryan Pruitt. Nathan Early then singled, bringing Pruitt home to make it 2-0 in favor of the Bulls.
Rice responded in the fourth inning. Paul Smith hit a triple after a misplayed fly ball by USF’s Ryan Pruitt, scoring JC Davis. Garet Boehm followed with a single, driving in Smith and tying the game at two. The Owls took the lead in the fifth inning after a passed ball allowed Lorenzo Rios to score.
In the sixth inning, Kutter-Gage Webb singled, and Mason Ashlock hit a first-pitch home run over the right-field wall, extending Rice’s lead to 5-2.
South Florida attempted a comeback in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs and scoring on a sacrifice fly. However, Ethan Atchley induced a double play to end the inning. The Bulls scored again in the eighth on a wild pitch, but Atchley secured the save in the ninth, closing out the 5-4 victory.
Key Stats
- Rice: 5 runs, 8 hits, 0 errors
- South Florida: 4 runs, 10 hits, 0 errors
- Winning Pitcher: Tanner Wiggins (1-0)
- Losing Pitcher: Edwin Alicea (4-1)
- Save: Ethan Atchley (2)
Up Next
Rice and South Florida will continue their series on Saturday, March 21, 2026, with a first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notable Owl Performances
- Paul Smith recorded his first career triple and extended his hitting streak to six games.
- Mason Ashlock extended his hitting streak to eight games, the longest by an Owl this season.