May 13, 2008
UT Arlington broke open a tie game with seven runs in the middle innings en route to a 16-8 win over No. 7 Texas A&M Tuesday night before 1,213 fans at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The Aggies fell to 42-11 with the loss, only their second in mid-week play in 2008, while the Mavericks improved to 23-29.
?I think we were ready to play tonight, but we were outplayed in every aspect of the game,? A&M coach Rob Childress said. ?We got outcompeted and outhustled, and give UTA credit. They did an outstanding job. We will come out and have a good practice tomorrow and a good practice Thursday and get ready for another big conference series this weekend.?
Fort Worth native Jose Duran drove in single runs in the first and third innings, sandwiched around a two-spot by the Mavericks in the second. Duran drove in Blake Stouffer with a sacrifice fly in the first, then added an RBI single up the middle to plate Dane Carter in the third. The third-inning single extended the junior?â„¢s hit streak to 23 games.
With the game tied at two entering the last of the fourth, UTA left fielder Brock Wilson began a two-out rally with a double that fell just fair inside the left field line. Following a stolen base and a full-count walk to Danny Slinkman, center fielder Michael Choice sent the first pitch he saw over the left fence to give the Mavericks a 5-2 lead.
UTA added four more two-out runs in the fifth to extend their advantage to seven. Following a passed ball on a strikeout that scored a run and kept the inning alive, Choice drove in a pair with a two-strike, two-run single to right.
The Aggies added two in the seventh on an RBI fielder?â„¢s choice by Duran and a run-scoring single to right center by Luke Anders, making the score 9-4, but the Mavericks answered with four in the bottom half of the frame to go up by nine.
Senior Daman Aaron belted his first career home run?-a three-run shot to center?-in the top of the eighth to make the score 13-7.
Duran finished the evening 1-for-3 with a team-high three RBI. Three other Aggies?-Stouffer, Carter and Darby Brown?-posted two hits apiece. Choice paced UTA with five RBI on the night.
Michael Heard (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three hits and three runs (all earned) over three innings of work while striking out four and walking two.
Matthew Otteman (4-3) picked up the victory for UTA, giving up seven hits and four runs (all earned) over 6 2/3 innings. He walked five and fanned four.
Texas A&M returns to action on Friday when the Aggies head to Austin to open their final weekend of the regular season with a three-game split series against Texas. First pitch at UFCU Disch-Falk Field is set for 6:05 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally by FOX College Sports. The series then shifts to College Station with games on Saturday (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME NOTES:
?* Jose Duran extended his career-high hit streak to 23 games with an RBI single in the third inning?...Duran?â„¢s hit streak is now the second longest in school history behind a 26-game effort by Kirk Thompson in 1989.
?* Blake Stouffer?â„¢s seventh-inning double marked the 200th hit of his career.
?* Daman Aaron became the 12th Aggie to hit a home run in 2008?...it marked the first long ball of his career?...Aaron?â„¢s three RBI was a new career best.
?* Texas A&M now leads the all-time series with UT Arlington, 20-7, and saw a three-game win streak against the Mavericks snapped?...the Aggies are now 3-5 all-time in Arlington.
?* Game-time temperature was 81 degrees with overcast skies and winds blowing out to left center at five miles per hour.