The Owls scored again in the bottom of the fifth, as Aaron Luna led off the frame with a walk and moved to third on a sacrifice and wild pitch. Jordan Dodson doubled through a drawn-in infield to plate the seventh run of the game for Rice.

After his longest outing in two months, Joe Savery turned the game over to the bullpen with a four-run lead. Owl midweek starter Will McDaniel struggled with his control out of the pen, throwing just 10 strikes among his 23 pitches while allowing a hit and walking two batters in 2/3 of an inning. Bryce Cox induced a Kevin Sevigny grounder to get out of trouble and keep the bullpen's scoreless inning streak alive.

Jake Weghorst came in for the Bears and threw a perfect sixth inning, needing just eight pitches to retire the heart of the Rice order.