HOUSTON - Justin Crowder threw his first complete game of the season to pitch second-ranked Rice to a 3-2 win over San Jose State Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park, clinching no worse than a tie for the 2002 Western Athletic Conference championship.
The Owls (41-10, 22-2 WAC) also grabbed the league's automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs with Sunday's win. Only Fresno State, a 7-3 winner Sunday at Nevada, can tie the Owls for the WAC championship, but Rice holds the tie-breaking edge over the Bulldogs due to its four wins over San Jose State this year. Fresno State lost four of six games to the Spartans this season.
On Sunday, Crowder, a senior transfer from Flower Mound (Marcus HS) by way of Texas Christian, struck out seven and walked only only in his victory. He allowed the Spartans only a pair of runs in the second inning, and worked out of jams in the fourth, seventh and ninth to take the win, his sixth against two losses.
Rice jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first off losing pitcher Jeremy Rogelstad (7-5) on a single by Chris Kolkhorst, a passed ball, a wild pitch and a Vincent Sinisi single.
San Jose State took the lead with its two-run second. After Bryan Baker's single and a walk to Scott Niheu, Travis Becktel singled sharply to right. Baker held at third, but Austin Davis's throw from the outfield got through to the backstop to allow the run to score. Adam Shorsher's single to center plated the second run.
Rice tied it in the fourth on a Sinisi lead-off single, an infield out and Paul Janish's single to left.
The winning run came in the seventh on singles by A.J. Porfirio, Justin Ruchti and Davis.
San Jose State got two singles off Crowder in both the fourth and seventh innings, but his biggest challenge may have been in the ninth after Shorser's leadoff double. Pinch runner Kayzell Milton made it to third with two outs on Hector Zamora's infield out, but Crowder struck out Gabe Lopez to end the game.
Sunday's win secured at least a share of Rice's sixth consecutive WAC title and the Owls' seventh straight league title overall, including the final Southwest Conference tournament title in 1996. The Owls will find out if they will host an NCAA regional on May 26 when those sites are announced. The full tournament bracket will be announced on May 27.
Next for the Owls is a Tuesday non-conference date with 10th-ranked Texas at Reckling Park (7 pm), Rice's final regular-season home game of the year. The Owls close the regular season with road WAC series at Fresno State next weekend and at Louisiana Tech (May 24-26).