By BRIAN TYNES

News Editor

Seventeen ... and counting.

Junior third baseman Ryan Hamilton extended his hitting streak to 17 games with four hits in the three-game Western Athletic Conference series against Rice last weekend.

The streak is the longest since senior Brandon Haygood's 16-game hitting streak in 2002, and Tech head coach Wade Simoneaux said Hamilton's work ethic has earned success.

"Hamilton has made some very good adjustments with coach [Fran] Andermann," Simoneaux said. "He competes in the box, he's confident in his abilities and he's even played an outstanding third base for us.

"To keep a hitting streak going against Rice's three starters is an achievement in itself. You can look back at the three-game series that Rice has pitched, and I guarantee there's not another hitter in the league that got a hit in all three games."

The Bulldogs (12-22, 4-8 WAC) downed the Owls (23-12, 6-6) in the opener last Friday 3-2 but dropped games Saturday and Sunday and remained tied with the Hawaii Rainbows for last place in the conference.

Hamilton's first hit of the series came in the fifth inning Friday by way of a home run to left-center field and gave the 'Dogs a 3-0 advantage.

The Owls scored two runs in the eighth but could not beat the pitching performance of junior Ryan Rupert.

Rupert picked up his second win of the season after pitching seven and 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and allowing only five hits.

Saturday, the Bulldogs were on the receiving end of dominant pitching.

Rice pitcher Eddie Degerman recorded 16 strikeouts in seven and 1/3 innings and allowed only six hits before giving way to the bullpen.

"Degerman threw an 8-0 shutout against Fresno," Simoneaux said.

"He's one of the better and hottest pitchers in the conference right now. He has an unorthodox delivery -- straight over the top -- but his curveball was a killer. He threw his curveball any time in the count all day long, and our guys really struggled."

But Simoneaux said Tech deserves some acclaim.

"Give our guys credit. Once we got to their bullpen, we put ourselves in a position where we were one swing away from winning the game."

Trailing 9-0, Tech cut the lead to five in the bottom of the eighth with four runs on three hits, aided by pass balls and walks.

But the inning ended when sophomore Brady Bascle went down on strikes with the bases loaded.

Tech surrendered one hit in the ninth and came back to the plate needing five runs to tie the game.

The first four batters for the 'Dogs in the ninth all reached base via walks with Haygood getting hit by a pitch.

Hamilton then kept his streak alive with a chopper just out of reach of Rice shortstop Brian Friday and cut the lead to 9-6 on an RBI single.

Senior Gil Laird, junior Joseph McCarthy and freshman Jonathan Yerby were then retired consecutively with the bases loaded.

"Our guys fought back Saturday, and I told them I was proud of them to have a guy throw 16 strikeouts at you and still have a chance to win the ballgame at the end against a top-ranked team in the country," Simoneaux said.

The rubber game went scoreless until the top of the third when Adam Rodgers hit a three-run home run off freshman Andrew Lassere to give the Owls the advantage.

The Owls added four runs in the top of the fifth, before Tech found its offense and scored two runs on a McCarthy homerun and an RBI groundout by Bascle.

Rice added four runs in the next three innings, aided by a two-run blast by Lance Pendleton in the seventh, and took an 11-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

Tech freshman Albie Goulder led off the ninth with a pinch-hit home run, and Tech added another run when Haygood scored on a single by junior Ben Tabor.

But with the bases loaded and one out, Laird struck out again, and freshman Brian Rike ended the game with a ground ball to first base.

Tech returns to J.C. Love Field for a home series against the Fresno State University Bulldogs this weekend.