HOUSTON, Texas -- A four-run first inning was all that the sixth-ranked Rice Owls needed as they picked up a 7-2 victory over the Elon Phoenix in the second game of the Rice Invitational.  The loss was the first of the year for the Phoenix which fell to 4-1.  The Owls picked up their first victory of 2010 and are now 1-4.

 

Jimmy Reyes suffered the first loss of his career and is now 12-1 in his time at Elon.  He is 1-1 on the year after giving up seven runs on 10 hits in 5.0 innings of work.

 

Rice's Boogie Anagnostou picked up the win, moving to 1-1.  He held Elon to two runs on three hits in 5.2 innings on the mound.  Jared Rogers threw 3.1 shutout innings to earn his first save of the season.

 

Michael Ratterree led off the bottom of the first with a single to left and moved over to second on Chad Mozingo's sacrifice bunt.  Michael Fuda then singled through the left side to drive home Ratterree.  After Anthony Rendon walked to put two aboard for Steven Sultzbaugh who singled down the right field line to score Fuda.  Rendon went to third on the play, but the Phoenix gunned down Sultzbaugh at second for the second out.  The Rice lead grew to 3-0 when Rick Hague doubled off the center field wall to plate Rendon.  Jeremy Rathjen's single through the right side scored Hague with the fourth run of the inning.

 

Elon chipped into the lead in the third.  Chris Bresnahan began the inning with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch.  With two outs, Bresnahan scored on Alex Swim's double into the left field corner. 

 

With runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the third, Rathjen got into one for a three-run homer to left and Rice pushed its lead to 7-1. 

 

The Phoenix looked to get one back in the fourth when Mike Melillo led off with a deep blast to left, but Fuda robbed Melillo of a homer when he took the ball off the top of the wall.  With two outs, Matt Hinson stepped up and crushed a pitch off the batter's eye in center for a solo homer.  It was his second home run of the season.

 

Rice put the first two aboard in the sixth and threatened to add more when Ratterree walked and Mozingo was hit by a pitch.  After Fuda reached on a fielder's choice that erased Ratterree, Rendon singled to right, but Justin Hilt threw out Mozingo who was trying to score from second.  Elon escaped the inning without giving up a run when Sultzbaugh grounded out to second. 

 

Two of Elon's four hits were recorded by Swim.  Hinson and Neal Pritchard had the other two.

 

Rathjen drove in four runs during a 3-for-4 night while Fuda, Sultzbaugh and Hague all recorded two hits for the Owls.

 

The Phoenix will play at 1 p.m. Central time against the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders from Reckling Park on day two of the Rice Invitational.