Rutgers 10, Texas A&M 8

Friday, March 7

College Station

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

9-3

Rutgers

3-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Rutgers	0	1	0	0	1	1	5	2	0	10	8	2
Texas A&M	2	0	3	0	0	0	3	0	0	8	14	2

Mar 07, 2008 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

March 07, 2008

Two unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning broke up a tie ballgame and ended Texas A&M?™s eight-game win streak as the 21st-ranked Aggies fell to Rutgers, 10-8, Friday night before 3,304 fans at Olsen Field.

A&M, which lost for the first time since Feb. 23, fell to 9-3, while the defending Big East champion Scarlet Knights improved to 3-4 and posted their third win of the year against a ranked opponent.

?You?™ve got to give Rutgers credit,? A&M coach Rob Childress said. ?Coach Hill?™s team was prepared, and their pitchers did a nice job once they got the lead of holding on to it. I thought Barret Loux had an incredible start for us, typical of a Friday night start, and we were able to build a 5-3 lead?-but weren?™t able to close it out on the mound.?

After a lead walk in the eighth, Rutgers right fielder Brett Garlick bunted a 2-1 pitch toward Aggie third baseman Dane Carter. His throw towards second to get the lead runner sailed over Blake Stouffer?™s head and into right field, putting runners at second and third with no outs.

A sacrifice bunt by second baseman Victor Cegles brought the go-ahead run home and, after an intentional walk and double steal, catcher Jon Gossard?™s RBI grounder to first made the score 10-8.

A&M was able to put the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the eighth, but Rutgers junior Jason Downey entered in relief and struck out both batters he faced to end that frame, and struck out the side?-sandwiched around a single?-in the ninth to earn his first save of the year.

Matt Patterson (1-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing two hits in an inning of work before Downey entered. Aggie junior Kyle Thebeau (1-2) would suffer the loss, allowing a hit and two unearned runs in two innings. He walked four and fanned one.

Texas A&M took a 2-0 lead in the first off Rutgers starter Steve Holt, scoring on consecutive RBI groundouts by Blake Stouffer and Jose Duran.

After Rutgers cut the lead in half with a run in the second, the Aggies extended their advantage to 5-1 with a three spot in the third. Dane Carter and Stouffer began the frame with back-to-back singles, and came home when Duran followed with a 2-run triple off the wall in right center. The Aggie shortstop then scored moments later on a wild pitch.

Rutgers cut into the lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings off Loux, then plated five two-out runs against the Aggie bullpen in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 lead.

The Scarlet Knights began the frame with a double to right center and a walk to chase Aggie reliever Michael Heard. Hank Robertson entered the game and, after a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, got a lineout and a strikeout. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, catcher Jon Gossard drove a 2-1 pitch into right field to score two and tie the game at five.

Kevin Cravey then relieved Robertson, but first baseman Jaren Matthews followed with an RBI single behind the bag at second, giving Rutgers its first lead of the night. Rutgers then scored three more runs on three wild pitches to extend the lead to three. After a walk, Blake Rampy relieved Cravey and got the next batter to fly to right to end the inning.

A&M responded quickly with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame to tie the game at eight.

With one out and the bases loaded, Duran scored on a fielder?™s choice ground ball off the bat of pinch-hitter Kyle Colligan. Then, with runners at the corners and a full count, pinch-hitter Caleb Shofner blooped a single over the head of the second baseman and in to right center, scoring Luke Anders. Colligan, who was breaking on the pitch from first, came all the way around to score when center fielder Luis Feliz stepped past Shofner?™s ball. The hustle play made the score 8-8.

Loux was impressive in his longest start of the year, going 6 innings and allowing four hits, three runs and two walks while striking out six.

Holt lasted six as well, giving up nine hits and five runs while walking one and fanning four.

?We had two errors on the board, gave four outs away on the bases and made a lot of mistakes,? Childress said. ?You always hate to lose, and we can?™t change that about tonight, but what we can do is take this game and learn a lot from it?-and I expect our team to do just that and come out tomorrow and get after it.?

The series continues on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Aggie freshman Brooks Raley (1-0, 3.68 ERA) is scheduled to make his first career start and is set to face Rutgers sophomore Casey Gaynor (1-1, 2.93). Tickets are available at the gate or online at aggieathletics.com. The game will air locally on WTAW-AM 1620.

POSTGAME NOTES: Texas A&M totaled 14 hits on the evening, the sixth time in the last eight games that the Aggie offense has amassed 10-plus hits?...After allowing just eight earned runs in 43 innings of work over the first 11 games of the season, the Texas A&M bullpen was tagged for five earned runs in the eighth inning of tonight?™s game?...Rutgers?™ 10-run output was as season high by an Aggie opponent?...The Scarlet Knights became the first team to score double-figure runs against A&M since Kansas State did so on May 13 of last season?...The Aggies lost their first game of the year (5-1) when scoring in the first inning and their first when scoring five or more runs (9-1)?...Dane Carter (10 games) and Brodie Greene (five games) both extended their career-best hit streaks in the first inning?...With two singles on the night, Carter has had two or more base hits in seven of A&M?™s 12 games in 2008?...Kyle Colligan?™s ninth-inning single extended his hit streak to six games?...Luke Anders also pushed his hit streak to five with a first-inning single?...Anders and Blake Stouffer both posted a season-high three hits?...Stouffer posted an RBI for the sixth time in the last seven games, boosting his season total to 10?...Stouffer?™s eighth-inning double extended A&M?™s streak of consecutive games with a double to 18?...Tonight?™s game marked the first meeting between the two schools on the diamond?...Game-time weather was 53 degrees with clear skies and a light breeze.