HOUSTON — In a doubleheader that started in the sun and ended at dusk under cloudy skies, Louisiana Tech split a pair of seven-inning games Saturday but won the soggy Conference USA road series against Rice before 2,410 at Reckling Park.
 
Tech won the opener, 5-4, behind a solid start from Alec Sparks and a pair or RBIs from both Jorge Corona and Brody Drost. The Dogs lost the nightcap, 4-0, to end a five-day road trip that began Tuesday at Northwestern State.
 
Tech won the Friday series opener, 6-4.
 
Tech is 16-16, 6-6 in C-USA; Rice is 15-16 and 6-6.
 
"I think we played good all week," Tech coach Lane Burroughs said. "(In the second game Saturday) they threw a different guy almost every inning and we couldn't get any rhythm. You're not gonna win when you get shutout but we've got to keep it in perspective — we came on the road and won a conference series."
 
Game 1: In Saturday's opener that took only 1:55 to play, Sparks (3-1) was just what the Dogs needed on the mound: the junior righthander went 5.2 innings, allowed one run on two hits, struck out seven and walked three.
 
The teams played the first four innings in less than an hour and were tied 1-1 after trading solo homers in the second from Drost and Rice's Guy Garibay Jr. Then Tech scored four times in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead. The big blow was a two-run double from Corona, his first hit of the series.
 
Logan McLeod singled to lead off the fifth, was sacrificed to second by Will Safford, and Ethan Bates walked. Philip Matulia was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Davis, who singled to right to give Tech a 2-1 lead and chase the Owls starter and loser, J.D. McCracken (2-1). Drost's sacrifice fly scored Davis for the 5-1 lead.
 
Landon Tomkins, the winner in relief Friday night, relieved Sparks with two outs in the sixth and induced a popup with a runner on. But in the bottom of the seventh, a couple of Bulldog errors made things dicey.
 
Ethan Bates relieved Tomkins with one out and a runner on third. Pinch hitter Jacob Devenny delivered an RBI single to right to make it 5-4 before the Owls hit into a fielder's choice and flied out to earn Bates his second save (and seventh on the season) in 18 hours; due to rain and lightning, Friday night's 6-4 Tech win started a day and two hours late and ended around 11:30 p.m.
 
Game 2: Five Rice pitchers combined to two-hit the Bulldogs and win the nightcap, 4-0.
 
Rice jumped in front 1-0 in the first on a single, walk and double off starter Greg Martinez (0-2), then added three in the sixth on four walks and a couple of infield singles off four Bulldog relievers.
 
"We've been living on the edge a bit down there, but you can't be scared — don't know if that's the right word or not — to go to the bullpen," Burroughs said. "We've got to have some other guys besides Tomkins and Bates step up."
 
Tech had baserunners in the first (hit by pitch), second and third (walks) but didn't get a hit until Bates tripled with one out in the sixth; he was stranded at third.
 
In the seventh, Tech loaded the bases on a walk, a hit by pitch and a single by Adarius Myers that brought the tying run to the plate with two outs but failed to score.
 
Tech has a busy week to follow this one. The Bulldogs play at ULL Tuesday at 6 and are at home the rest of the week against ULM Wednesday at 6 before three CUSA games against FIU Friday at 6, Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 11.
 
Rice is at home all week for single games against Lamar and McNeese and a three-game C-USA weekend set against Charlotte.