Preview: Rice Owls at Houston Cougars

HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Rice Owls and Houston Cougars will meet in a nonconference crosstown matchup Tuesday night at M.O. Campbell Center, with both teams looking to build momentum ahead of challenging weekend series.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 77 degrees.

Rice (9-7) enters after dropping two of three at Abilene Christian, including a 4-1 loss Sunday. The Owls’ strength in the series was pitching, particularly from starter Ethan Sanders. In that loss, Sanders delivered a dominant but hard-luck performance, striking out 11 over six hitless innings, though he was charged with two earned runs.

Sanders, a clear player to watch, has not allowed a hit in his last 14 innings pitched over three appearances, fanning 18 batters in that span.

Houston (10-5) is riding high after a weekend sweep of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, outscoring the Golden Lions 33-9. The Cougars won 10-0 on Saturday behind a strong start from Connor Udland, who allowed just one hit and struck out five over five scoreless innings.

Udland, a key arm out of the bullpen, has been effective in recent outings, posting 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings over his last four appearances.

The Cougars’ offense broke out over the weekend, with Carsten Sabathia driving in five runs and Jackson LaLima adding a three-run homer in Saturday’s rout.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Tuesday’s contest projects to be a high-scoring affair, with a predicted final of Rice 6, Houston 5.

Following the midweek game, both teams face tough weekend road trips. Rice heads to Arizona for games against Saint Mary’s and Grand Canyon, while Houston opens a three-game home series with Kansas State on Friday.