Texas A&M
18-13, 2-7
Oklahoma State
17-7, 3-3
Baseball Drops Third Straight
Apr 02, 2006 | Baseball
April 02, 2006
Texas A&M rallied from a seven-run deficit to tie the game in the ninth on Sunday afternoon, but for the third straight game, Oklahoma State scored the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Aggies, 12-11, at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
With the loss, the Aggies dropped to 18-13 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play. Oklahoma State improved to 18-7 and 3-3 in the league. All three of A&M?™s losses this weekend were by one run.
?This team has a lot of heart and it showed this weekend,? A&M head coach Rob Childress said. ?We competed hard for 27 innings this weekend and never let down when we easily could have. We have to come out next week, pull our hats down and keep grinding.?
Trailing 8-1, Texas A&M scored seven runs in the top of the seventh. A bases-loaded hit batter by OSU starter Charles Benoit scored the first run of the inning and chased him from the game. Pinch hitter Adam Hale then drilled a grand slam off reliever Matt Gadner to get the Aggies to within two runs. Blake Stouffer tripled and scored on a pinch hit single by Keith Stein. With two outs, Jake Vasquez singled up the middle to plate Stein.
An RBI double by Adam Carr in the seventh and RBI singles by Shelby Ford and Ty Wright in the eighth put the Cowboys back on top, 11-8.
The Aggies were not done and mounted a two-out rally to tie the game again in the top of the ninth. Ryan Hill walked and Austin Boggs singled to left center to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and bring the tying run to the plate. Vasquez came through again, this time with a three-run dinger which tied the game, 11-11.
After retiring the first man he faced in the bottom of the ninth, Kyle Nicholson allowed a single to Jordy Mercer, who advanced to third on a botched pickoff attempt. Matt Clarkson blooped a shallow fly to left and Mercer just beat the tag of catcher Josh Stinson to end the game.
Mercer (4-0) moved from shortstop to pitcher and after giving up the three-run homer to Vasquez recorded the final out of the ninth to earn the win. Nicholson (3-3) was tagged with the loss.
Stouffer gave the Aggies the early lead with a lead home run in the top of first off OSU starter Charles Benoit.
The Cowboys took the lead in the bottom of the second. A&M starter Chance Corgan walked John Schindler and with two outs, he walked Corey Brown. Mercer singled to score the first run of the inning and after a double steal, Clarkson drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle to make the score 3-1.
OSU added two runs in the bottom of the third to increase its lead to 5-1. Ford was hit by a pitch and Tyler Mach singled to start the inning. Schindler perfectly executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up a station. Wright followed with an RBI single and Carr lifted a sacrifice fly to center to chase Corgan from the game.
Corgan lasted 2 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on four hits. He struck out one, walked two and hit a man.
Schindler drove in a run with a single, Brown drove in another with a triple on scored on a wild pitch by reliever Hart Hering to stake the Cowboys to a 8-1 lead after five innings.
The Aggies return to Olsen Field on Tuesday, April 4, where they will host the Rice Owls. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mercer (4-0)
L: Nicholson, Kyle (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Sebek, Todd 1
3B: Stouffer, Blake 1
HR: Stouffer, Blake 1 ; Vasquez, Jake 1 ; Hale, Adam 1
RBI: Stouffer, Blake 1 ; Stein, Keith 1 ; Vasquez, Jake 4 ; Stinson, Josh 1 ; Hale, Adam 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Stouffer, Blake 2 ; Stein, Keith 1 ; Hill, Ryan 1 ; Boggs, Austin 1 ; Vasquez, Jake 1 ; Buenger, Jess 1 ; Salazar, Jose 1 ; Colligan, Kyle 1 ; Stinson, Josh 1 ; Hale, Adam 1
HBP: Stinson, Josh 1
Batting:
2B: Mach 1 ; Carr 1 ; Mercer 1
3B: Brown 1
RBI: Ford 1 ; Schindler 1 ; Wright 2 ; Carr 2 ; Brown 1 ; Mercer 1 ; Clarkson 3
SH: Schindler 1 ; Wright 1
SF: Carr 1 ; Clarkson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Simon 1 ; Ford 2 ; Mach 2 ; Schindler 2 ; Wright 1 ; Brown 2 ; Mercer 2
SB: Brown 1 ; Mercer 1
HBP: Simon 1 ; Ford 1
