HOUSTON -- Jabari Henry finally supplied the clutch hit that FIU was missing through the first 17 innings of the season, crushing a go-ahead, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Rice had a couple big hits of its own.

The Owls tied it with a run in the ninth, then cleanup hitter Jeremy Rathjen crushed a solo homer to the hill behind left field in the 12th inning, lifting Rice to a 5-4 victory Saturday at Reckling Park.

“This one’s a hard one for us,” Henry said. “We battled back. Their starting pitcher pitched a really good game, and we were trying to stay in there — the coaches have been working us hard on that — and it went back and forth. We just ended up losing this one.

“Hopefully, we can get them [Sunday].”

FIU (0-2) and Rice (2-0) conclude their three-game series at noon Sunday. Freshman right-hander Jose Lazaro is expected to start for FIU. Right-hander Jordan Stephens is the probable starter for Rice.

The teams’ second meeting started out much like the first, with the Panthers struggling to hit with runners in scoring position. They had just four hits through seven innings and stranded 11 runners.

“We were trying too hard,” FIU coach Turtle Thomas said. “Sometimes when you don’t get a guy in, don’t get a guy in, don’t get a guy in, you start pressing a little bit, and that’s what we were doing.”

Still, the Panthers trailed just 1-0 heading into the eighth thanks to a solid effort by starter Mason McVay, who issued five walks to only one strikeout but surrendered just one run in 5 2/3 innings.

The Panthers finally tied it at 1 in the eighth. A wild pitch by reliever J.T. Chargois rolled away from catcher Craig Manuel, allowing Henry (3 for 6), who reached on a single, to score from third.

Derek Hamilton put Rice back on top 3-1 with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for Henry’s dramatic home run to left in the ninth, which came after Rudy Flores’ run-scoring single.

Once the Panthers got going, they notched nine hits in the final five innings and out-hit Rice 13-8.

“It was a big weight off our shoulders because we couldn’t get that big-time hit,” Henry said. “I guess that was the big-time hit, and we continued hitting the ball, we just couldn’t get the runs in.”

Or the win.

Rathjen (3 for 5) used a run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, then he won it for Rice with a homer on a 1-1 pitch from reliever Alberto Cardenas.

Rice reliever Taylor Wall (1-0) picked up the victory. Cardenas (0-1) took the loss.

“I’m pleased with the way we played,” Thomas said. “We didn’t win the baseball game, and I know everybody wants to win and nobody’s interested in being close, and I’m the same way, but the way we played the game was much better [Saturday].”