Ags Knock off Top-Ranked Owls

Sunday, February 11

Houston, Texas

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

3-1

Rice

2-3

Rice

Texas A&M

Feb 11, 2007 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

February 11, 2007

Craig Stinson went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored to lead Texas A&M past No. 1 Rice, 4-2, in the last game of the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park Sunday night.

A&M starter David Newmann pitched 5 1/3 solid innings, striking out six and walking two. Reliever Kyle Nicholson (1-1) finished the game with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Nicholson fanned four and allowed one free pass.

With the win, the Aggies moved to 3-1 overall and finished 2-1 in the Classic. The Owls dropped to 2-3 and 1-2 in the tournament.

?I thought we played hard all weekend,? head coach Rob Childress said. ?Newmann was excellent his first time out and Nicholson pitched like a senior in a big situation.?

Nicholson entered the game with runners on first and second, one out, and the game tied at two. He coaxed Jordan Dodson to ground into a double play to end the inning and the threat. Nicholson did not allow another runner to reach scoring position and faced the minimum the rest of the way.

?Stinson and Luke Anders came up with some huge hits when we needed them most,? Childress said. ?We are getting better offensively every game and a few big hits can be contagious.?

Trailing 2-0 due to a two-RBI double by Chad Lembeck in the third, Stinson got the Aggie scoring started with his first home run of the year in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI groundout by Brodie Greene later in the inning scored Brian Ruggiano, who singled and moved to second on a single by Luke Anders.

Anders delivered a two-out double in the gap to left center to score Stinson all the way from first and earn the Aggies their first lead of the game, 3-2.

Stinson put the game away in the eighth with a two-out RBI single to right.

Rice starter Joe Savery, who was on a pitch count, left the game after four scoreless innings.

Owls?™ reliever Bobby Bramhall (0-2) shouldered the loss.

The Aggies next action will be Tuesday when they return to Olsen Field for the first game of a 19-game homestand. A&M will host McNeese State with first pitch set for 4 p.m.

RICE ?- 002 000 000 ?- 2 4 0

A&M ?- 000 020 11X ?- 4 6 2

RICE: Savery, Langwell (5), Bramhall (5), Gayhart (8) and Zornes; A&M: Newmann, Nicholson (6) and C. Stinson.

2B ?- RICE: Lembeck; A&M: Anders

HR ?- C. Stinson (1)

SB ?- RICE: Padron (1); A&M: Feltner 2 (2)

E ?- A&M: Feltner (1), Greene (1)

Win: Nicholson (1-1), Loss: Bramhall (0-2), Save: none

T ?- 2:26 A ?- 10,378