The struggling Aggies fell short Tuesday night, dropping their fourth straight game after moving to No. 1 in the NCAA rankings. The Aggies lost by a final score of 4-3, tallying up two runs on eight hits with one error and leaving six on base.

Starting pitcher Tyler Ivey struggled to settle in and was eventually pulled in the bottom of the fourth inning. He left the game giving up four runs -two of them earned – on six hits with a walk and a strikeout in a losing effort. Despite a strong showing from the A&M bullpen, who entered the game early, the damage had already been done.

A&M was  able to score in the top of the first inning and stay in the game for the first three frames, but a three-run fourth inning by the Rice Owls would eventually be the spark they needed to power past the Aggies.

The Aggies were able to get on the board first on a one-out RBI single by first baseman Hunter Melton, which scored leadoff hitter J.B Moss. The Owls were able to get the run back in the bottom of the third on a wild pitch from freshman starting pitcher Tyler Ivey.

Going into the fourth inning, the game was tied until a single by Rice right fielder Danye Wunderlich gave the Owls the lead. Rice would tack on two more with a double by center fielder Hunter Kopycinski to put Rice ahead for good.

The Aggies were able to score runs in the seventh and the ninth, the first coming on an error from Rice and the latter from an RBI single by Michael Barash, but the bid for a ninth inning rally was cut short.

The Aggies return to College Station for a weekend series against Georgia to try to end their four game losing streak and work their way back to the top of the college baseball rankings. The first game is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Friday evening at Blue Bell Park.