February 10, 2006
Kyle Nicholson fanned seven and Texas A&M stole 10 bases on Friday to cruise to 10-4 win over Northwestern State before 4,194 fans on a blustery night at Olsen Field.
The win was the first career victory for first-year head coach Rob Childress.
Nicholson (1-0) lasted 5.1 innings, allowing four runs ?- one earned. He allowed seven hits and walked a man.
The 10 stolen bases tied a school record set in 1947 against Rice.
?It is good to get that first one out of the way,? Childress said. ?We did what we planned to do out there tonight. We threw strikes and put pressure on them offensively. It was fun to watch.?
The Aggies scored first in the bottom of the second with two runs off of Demons?â„¢ starter Dereck Cloeren. Austin Boggs started the inning with a double to left and with two outs, John Infante was hit by a pitch and Josh Stinson walked to load the bases. Parker Dalton then reached first on a wild pitch and Boggs trotted home. A bases-loaded walk to Brandon Glover pushed Infante across to make the score 2-0.
NSU answered with four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. The big blow of the inning was a two-RBI single by Brandon Morgan.
A&M regained the lead in the bottom of the third by plating seven runs and making the score 9-4. Infante, Stinson, Dalton, Brandon Glover and Boggs all had RBI singles in the frame.
Matt Ueckert replaced Nicholson with a runner on first and one out in the sixth and coaxed an inning-ending double play on his very first pitch.
A sacrifice fly to left by Jackson plated Stouffer in the bottom of the sixth, making the score 10-4. Stouffer singled, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout by
Ueckert allowed just one hit in his 2.2 innings of work. He stuck out one and walked one.
Hart Hering needed just 10 pitches in the ninth to fan all three hitters he faced and end the game.
Cloeren (0-1) suffered the loss, lasting 2.1 innings and allowing seven runs ?- six earned.
Defensively, the Aggies committed three errors but also turned three double plays.
The series resumes on Saturday at noon at Olsen Field. Gates will open at 10:30 a.m.