April 4, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas - Luke Anders hit two home runs and drove in five to lead No. 10 Texas A&M to a 13-7 win over Texas Tech Saturday night before 2,779 fans at Dan Law Field.
Anders, who tied career highs in both categories, led a 14-hit attack that saw the Aggies (20-10, 7-4 Big 12) blast four home runs and add five doubles on the night. The loss dropped the Red Raiders to 13-19 and 5-6.
A&M exploded for nine runs in the first four innings, which was more than enough run support for starter Alex Wilson. The junior tossed a season-high eight innings and punched out 10 Tech batters to pick up his third win of the season.
The Aggies jumped on Tech starter AJ Ramos for three runs and five hits in the first inning. An RBI single up the middle by Caleb Shofner, followed by a two-run home run by Luke Anders--which cleared the bullpen in right field--accounted for the scoring.
Adam Smith made the score 4-0 after he hit the first pitch of the second inning high off the scoreboard in right-center field for his fourth round-tripper of the year.
Brodie Greene's long home run to left center, a two run, third-inning shot, would extend the lead to six.
Tech used four hits and a pair of wild pitches to cut the lead in half in their half of the inning, but A&M would get the runs back in their next at-bat as Anders blasted a three-run home run to right center field. The senior's sixth home run of the year, and second of the game, made the score 9-3.
Tech cut the lead to 9-5 in the fourth, but Wilson did not allow another run the rest of the night. The Aggies padded their lead in the seventh, scoring on an error, and three more in the eighth, highlighted by a bases-loaded, two-run single by Joe Patterson.
Greene had a team-high three hits, while Anders, Shofner, Patterson and Kyle Colligan extended his hit streak to 10 games with an eighth-inning double up against the base of the wall in center.
Wilson allowed nine hits and five runs in his eight innings of work while walking only one.
Ramos (3-2) allowed 10 hits, nine runs (all earned) and three walks in four innings of work while striking out three. He had allowed nine previous runs all season.
The rubber game of the series is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. The Aggies will send sophomore Barret Loux (1-0, 4.83 ERA) to the mound to face Red Raider senior Miles Morgan (1-4, 6.90). The game will air on WTAW-AM 1620 and fans can also listen worldwide free of charge on radioaggieland.com and aggieathletics.com.
POSTGAME NOTES
• A&M now leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 88-53...the Aggies lead, 21-20, in the Big 12 era (1997-present).
• Luke Anders' two home runs give the senior 33 for his career, which ranks sixth on the all-time charts...Anders is one shy of tying Steven Truitt (1997-99) for fifth place.
• Anders has hit two home runs two other times in his career, both last year (April 6 vs Kansas State, April 26 vs Missouri)...he has driven in five runs two other times in his career, also both last year (March 5 vs Nicholls State, March 9 vs Rutgers).
• Kyle Colligan eighth-inning double extended his Big 12 hit streak to 18 games, which is tied for second on the school's all-time charts and two shy of tying the school record...it also extended his overall hit streak to 10 games, which ties a career high.
• Alex Wilson eight innings of work was a season and A&M career high...it was his longest outing since he went eight innings against High Point in his final start at Winthrop (May 23, 2007)...Wilson also struck out 10 batters on the night, marking the third time this year and ninth in his career that he has punched out 10 or more.
• Wilson's second-inning strikeout of Garrett Totten was the 300th of his career...Wilson fanned 240 batters in two seasons at Winthrop and has now struck out 68 this season for the Aggies.
• With a first-inning double, Brooks Raley has now reached safely (hit or walk) in all 26 games this season (in which he has had a plate appearance).
• Aggies with multi-hit games (season total/career total): Luke Anders (9th/50th)...Brodie Greene (8th/24th)...Kevin Gonzalez (7th/16th)...Caleb Shofner (10th/10th)...Joe Patterson (3rd/3rd).
• Aggies with multi-RBI games (season total/career total): Luke Anders (7th/37th)...Brodie Greene (2nd/12th)...Joe Patterson (4th/4th).
• Game-time temperature was 77 degrees with clear skies and winds blowing out to left at 22 miles per hour (gusting to 44).
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Rob Childress: "It's a funny game. We did everything right last night except get hits with runners in scoring position, and tonight we did everything right and did get those hits with runners in scoring position. AJ Ramos is an outstanding pitcher, and I thought early on we had some pretty tough at-bats and fought him off. We got his pitch count up and got some big hits against him. We had a chance to lose the momentum, as they got three runs and got right back in the game, but we answered right back with three of our own."
(on Luke Anders' night) "That's who he is. You just keep writing his name in the lineup and you know his hits are coming. If we're going to have a big season out of him I'd rather it be the second half than the first half, without question."