Firing Forces Flip-Flop

Kuithe brothers decommit from Rice following Bailiff firing

Seth Livingston
Josh Koch
Nov 28, 2017, 7:05 am
Rice loses recruits after Bailiff was fired. Vype

Originally appeared on Vype.com.

HOUSTON — The recruiting fallout from the firing of Rice coach David Bailiff has begun.

On Monday evening, Brant and Blake Kuithe of Cinco Ranch High School announced their decommitment from the program.

“I would like to thank Coach Bailiff and the entire coaching staff at Rice University for the opportunity to further my education and play football at such a prestigious University,” Brant and Blake both tweeted from their personal accounts. “After much thought and discussion with my family, I have decided to decommit from Rice University.”

Bailiff was fired following a 1-11 season. He was in his 11th year at the program posting a 57-80 record and guiding the Owls to four bowl games.

Brant and Blake both unfortunately were unable to complete their senior seasons because of injuries. Blake, a defensive end at Cinco Ranch, tore his ACL, while Brant, a running back for the Cougars, broke his fibula.

Despite the injuries the duo was still able to put up big numbers this season and in their careers.

Brant rushed for 1,041 yards and 18 touchdowns this year. He finishes his career with 2,932 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground. Of his 22 career games, 16 were 100-plus yard performances. Brant’s career high was 237 yards against Katy Taylor earlier this season.

Blake finished his career amassing 184 tackles (107 solo), averaging 5.1 tackles per game, and 19 tackles for loss in 36 games. Blake also registered 10 sacks, 35 hurries and four pass deflections.

According to Rivals, Brant is a three-star running back with 14 offers, including ones from Iowa State, Boise State, Utah, Colorado, North Texas, SMU and Texas State.

Blake is a three-star defensive end with 13 offers virtually from the exact same schools as his brother.

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Houston is back in the win column

McCullers Jr. spins a gem as Astros get a much-needed win over Giants

Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

After getting swept by the A's in Oakland to end a road trip with a five-game losing streak, the Astros returned to Houston to try and get back on track. To do so, they'd need a win against the Giants on Monday night. Here is a quick recap of the series opener:

Final Score: Astros 6, Giants 4.

Record: 7-9, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 6.10 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Logan Webb (1-1, 2.81 ERA).

Houston builds up an early lead

The early goings of Monday's game went very similar to the last time Lance McCullers Jr. took the mound. He would have a terrific first three innings while his offense gave him an early lead. The first run came in the bottom of the second, with Yuli Gurriel reaching base on a one-out double, moving to third on a wild pitch, then scoring on an RBI-single by Carlos Correa.

Correa would take part in a four-run inning in the third, as Houston would score two on a two-RBI ground-rule double by Michael Brantley, another on an error, then Correa's second RBI of the night, a groundout to bring in a run and make it 5-0. Unlike the last start in Arizona, where the roof opened and McCullers Jr. fell apart in the fourth, he was able to make quick work of his opponent for a 1-2-3 frame. As he kept recording scoreless innings, Martin Maldonado added another run to the lead with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, making it 6-0.

McCullers Jr. takes a no-hitter into the seventh

While the Astros were building their lead, McCullers Jr. was spinning a gem on the mound. He allowed just one baserunner through the first six innings, which came on a hit-by-pitch. He entered the seventh with a no-hitter in progress, but the Giants would get their first hit of the night to end the no-hit bid.

Regardless, the start was precisely what McCullers Jr. needed to restore his confidence after the disastrous inning he had in his last appearance. He would go on to complete the seventh inning before Houston would go to the bullpen with the large lead in the eighth. His final line: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K 0 HR, 1 HPB.

Houston gets back in the win column despite more struggles by Josh James

Josh James entered out of the bullpen for the top of the eighth but allowed the first run of the night for San Francisco via a solo home run with one out to make it 6-1. He would complete the inning and then return for the top of the ninth. He would have another rocky inning, issuing a leadoff walk before a single and double would make it a four-run game at 6-2, still with no outs in the inning and runners on second and third, prompting another call to the bullpen.

Dusty Baker would bring in his current closer, Ryan Pressly, to try and finish the game, now in a save situation. Pressly would retire the first two batters he faced before allowing a two-RBI single to make it 6-4, but would eventually get the final out to get Houston the much-needed win. With the victory, the Astros moved back into second place in the AL West standings.

Up Next: The middle game of this three-game set will start Tuesday at 8:10 PM Central. The Giants, working with a fluid rotation, have not yet fully decided on their starter, while the Astros will get another start from Brandon Bielak (2-0, 0.87 ERA) who will look to repeat the success of his five-inning, no-run start in Arizona last week.

astros recap astros vs giants mlb mlb recap carlos correa lance mccullers jr josh james astros

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