Texas A&M
20-23, 4-14
Baylor
25-16, 9-9
Baylor Stuns Aggies in Ninth, Takes Series
Apr 23, 2006 | Baseball
April 23, 2006
Adam Hale went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored on Sunday afternoon, but Baylor rallied for a four-run ninth inning to defeat Texas A&M, 9-8, at Baylor Ballpark.
Hale?™s third hit of the day was a two-out, solo homer in the top of the ninth which gave the Aggies a three-run cushion and needing just three out to win the series.
With one out and nobody on, Baylor grounded three straight singles through the A&M infield to cut the lead to, 8-6. Hart Hering replaced A&M reliever Kyle Nicholson and Kevin Sevigny tripled to right to tie the game. After intentional walks to Tim Jackson and Kevin Russo, pinch hitter Jake Rippee lifted a sacrifice fly to center to end the game.
?That is a tough loss for us right there,? A&M head coach Rob Childress said. ?Baylor came and took it from us in the ninth inning. Kyle Nicholson did a great job toady and we fought hard at the plate all day long. So did Baylor and did the job in the ninth.?
Nicholson allowed just three base runners prior to the ninth inning in his 4 1/3 innings of relief work.
With the loss, A&M dropped to 20-23 overall and to 4-14 in Big 12 play. Baylor improved to 25-16 and 9-9.
The Aggies took the early lead by scoring two runs off of Baylor starter Jeff Mandel in the top of the first. With one out, Jose Salazar and Austin Boggs singled and Spencer Jackson drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Hale then delivered a two-out, two-RBI single to right to earn A&M the initial lead.
A&M doubled its lead in the top of the second via a solo homer by Parker Dalton and a sacrifice fly by Boggs. The home run was the first of the year for Dalton.
Aggie starting pitcher Matt Ueckert pitched out of a huge jam in the bottom of the second to keep the A&M lead at four runs. With runners on second and third and no outs, Ueckert recorded an infield fly, a groundout to third, and a flyout to deep left center to end the inning and the threat.
Ueckert could not get out of jams in the third and fourth innings as Baylor scored five runs in those two frames to take the lead, 5-4.
Zach Dillon drove in a run with a fielder?™s choice in the third and a sacrifice fly by Chase Gerdes cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth. Beamer Weems then delivered a two-out, three-run homer to put the Bears on top.
A&M answered in the top of the fifth with three more runs to retake the lead and chase Mandel from the game. With two outs and nobody on, Hale walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Kyle Colligan punched a single through the left side of the infield to tie the game at five before Josh Stinson drove the very next pitch over the wall in right center to make the score 7-5.
Hering (0-1) shouldered the loss and Tim Matthews (4-4) allowed one run over the final 4 1/3 innings to earn the win.
Texas A&M returns to action this Tuesday when they host Texas-San Antonio. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. at Olsen Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Matthews (4-4)
L: Hering, Hart (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Hale, Adam 1 ; Stinson, Josh 1 ; Dalton, Parker 1
RBI: Boggs, Austin 1 ; Hale, Adam 3 ; Colligan, Kyle 1 ; Stinson, Josh 2 ; Dalton, Parker 1
SH: Boggs, Austin 1
SF: Boggs, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stouffer, Blake 1 ; Salazar, Jose 1 ; Boggs, Austin 1 ; Hale, Adam 2 ; Colligan, Kyle 1 ; Stinson, Josh 1 ; Dalton, Parker 1
SB: Salazar, Jose 1
CS: Hale, Adam 1
HBP: Dalton, Parker 1
Batting:
3B: Sevigny 1
HR: Weems 1
RBI: Weems 3 ; Dillon 2 ; Sevigny 2 ; Rippee 1 ; Gerdes 1
SF: Rippee 1 ; Gerdes 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Weems 2 ; Fortenberry 1 ; Sodolak 1 ; Sevigny 1 ; Russo 1 ; Pankratz 1 ; Bias 1 ; Gerdes 1
HBP: Bias 1
