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Feb. 5, 2005, 10:26PM Rice freshmen display no stage frightYoungsters lead Owls' victory over Cent. Missouri St.By MOISEKAPENDA BOWERCopyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
on the mound and in the field in the Owls' 5-2 win over Central Missouri State on Saturday at Reckling Park. Graham had no reservations about starting an all-freshman battery and inserting freshmen at two key defensive positions — shortstop and center field. Each member of the quartet made an impact in the victory, which was highlighted by a 21-strikeout performance by three Owls pitchers. "They're a very talented group," Graham said. "And they're not going to get better if we don't let them play. We're going to try and give them every opportunity we can." Mules starter Danny Powers held the Owls hitless until pinch hitter Adam Hale's two-out single in the fourth inning. Two walks filled the bases, setting the stage for Lehmann. After lining a 2-0 fastball into the CMSU bullpen, Lehmann doubled over third base to drive in two runs and erase a 2-0 CMSU lead. Lehmann added an RBI groundout in the sixth after Rodriguez stroked a leadoff triple. "The slider came back over (the plate) and I got enough of it to keep it fair," Lehmann (1-for-3, three RBIs) said of his double. "It was a good pitch, but I got enough metal on it to keep it fair. "There's always going to be butterflies, especially in the home opener. You've always got to be nervous for the first game and I had a few butterflies going at the beginning." Friday and Lance Pendleton drove in runs in the fifth and that, along with solid defensive performances by Friday and Tyler Henley in center, proved to be more than enough support for the Owls' remodeled staff. The trio of Savery, Josh Geer (1-0) and closer Bryce Cox, who earned the save, combined for a school-record 21 strikeouts. It was a sparkling debut for a staff looking to develop an identity following the losses of Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend — all first-round picks in the 2004 draft. Savery set the tone with 10 strikeouts in four innings, consistently getting ahead of CMSU (2-1) hitters with first-pitch strikes. Geer totaled eight strikeouts in his four relief innings before Cox struck out the side in the ninth. "Our pitching performance looked good," Geer said. "We're trying to fill some big shoes. That (21 strikeouts) is not even heard of. You can think about it but ... it's unbelievable."
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