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• Published: Jun 2, 2009 - Page: 1C

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HOUSTON — Diego Seastrunk hit a three-run homer and Rick Hague drove in three runs to help Rice defeat Kansas State 13-4 on Monday night and advance to the baseball super regionals.

Seastrunk’s homer capped a six-run fourth inning that saw a 2-2 game turn into an 8-2 lead for Rice.

“I was trying to get something up to try to advance the runners,” said Seastrunk of his homer off Kansas State reliever James Allen. “I had been kind of fighting off a couple of pitches before that and I was actually sitting on off-speed thinking they might try to get me to hang over the plate.

“I ended up getting the fastball in and I was able to get a barrel on it.”

Michael Fuda and Jimmy Comerota each had four of the 20 hits for the Owls (43-16), who will face LSU in the best-of-three super regionals starting Friday at Alex Box Stadium.

The home run highlighted a 20-hit attack for the Owls as the pitching for Kansas State quickly ran thin.

The difference, KSU coach Brad Hill said, was the big fourth inning.

“After the three-run home run, that was pretty much ballgame right there,”  Hill said. “We just never could really gather any momentum there. We’d just plug single runs.

That’s because Rice’s pitching, held up well despite the Owls having to win for a third time in two days since losing to Kansas State on Saturday.

Freshman Matthew Reckling (2-2) allowed two runs and three hits in four innings of relief.

“It’s always great to win,” said Rice coach Wayne Graham. “It’s even better when you come out of the losers bracket to win. It speaks to the character of the team.”

Reckling was the unlikely hero Monday after Taylor Wall pitched a three-hit shutout in an 8-0 Owls win over the Wildcats Sunday that forced the deciding game.

Sophomore Thomas Rooke (5-2) gave up four hits and four runs in the first career start for Kansas State (43-18-1). Justin Bloxom and Jason King each had two RBIs for the Wildcats.