HOUSTON – Junior right-hander Nicholas Fraze outdueled Rice's Matt Canterino on the mound in Texas State's 1-0 victory in the opening game of the 19th Annual Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
 
The Bobcats improve to 6-3 on the season while the Owls drop to 3-7 overall.
 
Fraze (2-1) went 7.0 innings and did not allow a hit for the first 6.1 frames. He struck out a career-high 12 batters while walking two. Canterino (0-2) also went 7.0 innings with nine strikeouts while allowing a run on four hits. Brent Hebert earned his first career save in a TXST uniform after striking out two in the ninth inning.
 
Combined to pitch the eighth were Kyle Bradford and Brandon Lewis. Bradford recorded the first two outs and Lewis got the final out.
 
Five Bobcats recorded singles with the lone extra-base hit being a double off the bat of Will Hollis. He also recorded the lone RBI of the game. Jaylen Hubbard was the only player to come around to score.
 
The Bobcats scattered three hits through the first six innings and were unable to push a run across.
 
Both Hubbard and John Wuthrich reached base on back-to-back fielding errors by Rice's shortstop. Will Hollis followed with a double that rolled into the right field corner that plated a run to break the scoreless game.
 
Fraze saw his no-hit bid come to an end when Braden Comeaux singled through the left side of the infield. The junior right-hander got into a jam as he walked the next batter but struck the next two Owls out to escape with no damage on the scoreboard.
 
The first batter that Kyle Bradford faced in the eighth sent a line shot that was snagged by Hubbard but the ball popped out of his glove. Dalton Shuffield was able to get over to the ball and threw a dart to first to just get the runner. Bradford was able to induce a groundout before walking Aaron Beaulaurier and giving way to Lewis on the mound for the final out of the frame.
 
Hebert wrapped up the ninth by striking out two despite two Rice batters reaching base, one on a walk and another after being hit by a pitch.
 
The Bobcats continue play at Minute Maid Park on Saturday at 11 a.m. against Houston.
 
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