Rain Expected as Rice Visits Abilene Christian in Weekend Opener

ABILENE, Texas (Interstat) — The Rice Owls and Abilene Christian Wildcats open a three-game nonconference series Friday at Kimbrell Arena, with wet weather in the forecast.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. under a 74-degree sky with rain expected. The Owls (7-6) enter after a 4-1 midweek road win at Lamar, while the Wildcats (6-5) are coming off a 20-10 offensive explosion against Stephen F. Austin.

Rice will look to right-hander Jeremiah Arnett to set the tone. The junior is coming off a dominant 4 1/3-inning relief outing against Lamar, allowing no hits and one earned run with three strikeouts. In his last start on Feb. 18, he threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball in a win over Purdue.

Abilene Christian’s lineup is powered by designated hitter Diego Cardenas. The senior is capable of explosive performances, as shown Wednesday when he went 3 for 5 with two home runs and nine RBIs against Stephen F. Austin. He also had a two-homer, four-RBI game against Oral Roberts on Feb. 22.

The Owls have won three of their last four, including a series sweep of Harvard last weekend. The Wildcats have shown volatility, mixing high-scoring wins with stretches of quiet offense, including being shut out at Texas State on March 1.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Abilene Christian 5, Rice 4.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday in Abilene.