Peters leads No. 15/24 Baseball past No. 12/15 Rice, 2-0

Friday, February 28

Houston, Texas

7:05 p.m.

University of Texas

7-3

Rice

6-4

Rice

Texas Longhorns

Kacy Clemens was 2-for-3

Peters leads No. 15/24 Baseball past No. 12/15 Rice, 2-0

02.28.2014 | Baseball

Box Score

Peters strikes out six in eight shutout innings; Barrera, Johnson provide run-scoring doubles.

HOUSTON -- Texas starting pitcher Dillon Peters tossed eight shutout innings, Tres Barrera and Ben Johnson provided run-scoring doubles in a decisive fourth inning, and the No. 15/24 Longhorns beat No. 12/15 Rice 2-0 Friday night at Minute Maid Park.

Playing its first game in the Houston College Classic, Texas (7-3) picked up its seventh win in the last eight games in large part due to Peters (1-0), who has now allowed just two earned runs in 22 innings this year. The junior struck out six on the evening -- one shy of his career high -- and allowed just four hits without issuing a walk.

Nathan Thornhill earned his first save of the year by coming in and closing the door in the ninth. After retiring the first two batters he faced, Rice loaded the bases, but Thornhill got a strike out to end the game.

Barrera and Johnson provided the only runs Texas would need with two out doubles in the fourth inning -- Barrera's dropping just fair down the right field line to score Kacy Clemens, and Johnson's just missing a home run off the wall in left center field to plate Barrera.

Peters cruised from there, retiring the side in the sixth and eighth innings, and getting out of the seventh on a beautifully turned double play by Brooks Marlow and C.J Hinojosa.

Peters also worked 1-2-3 second and third innings, retiring eight in a row after allowing a single in the first. The junior faced his first real trouble in the fourth, when Rice put two runners on with nobody out after consecutive singles. Peters, though, responded by striking out Rice's four, five and six hitters to get out of the inning unscathed.

Mark Payton extended his reached-base streak to 49 games when he drew a one-out walk in the first inning, but saw his 18-game hitting streak come to an end. Clemens recorded his second multi-hit game of the year with a 2-for-3 effort, while Johnson recorded his first with a 2-for-3 performance.

Texas improved to 5-2 against Rice in the Houston College Classic and 221-53-2 in the all-time series. The Longhorns, who face the Owls twice more this season, have also won four straight.

Rice reliever Chase McDowell (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs in two innings of work. The Owls dropped to 6-4 on the year.

The shutout was the third of the season for Texas.

Play in the Houston College Classic continues Saturday, as Texas takes on Houston at 3:35 p.m. RHP Parker French (1-1, 0.82) is set to take the mound for UT against Houston RHP Jake Lemoine (1-0, 0.00).