Loux's Gem Leads Aggies to 7-0 Win over Winthrop

Friday, March 5

College Station

6:35 PM

Texas A&M

7-2

Winthrop

7-1

Winthrop

Texas A&M

Mar 05, 2010 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

March 5, 2010

Final Stats

Rob Childress [mp3]

Barret Loux [mp3]

Kenny Jackson [mp3]

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Barret Loux allowed one hit and struck out a career-high 12 over seven shutout innings to lead Texas A&M to 7-0 win over Winthrop Friday evening before 3,434 fans at Olsen Field.

Loux (2-1) struck out the first batter of the game, then allowed a double inside the bag at third. After hitting the next batter, the Aggie junior then sat down 19 of the last 21 batters he faced, allowing only lead walks in the second and fifth innings.

The victory was the fourth in a row for A&M, which improved to 7-2. The Eagles suffered their first loss of the season and fell to 7-1.

A pitcher's duel for the first part of the night, A&M finally got to Winthrop ace Matteo D'Angelo in the fourth.

Brodie Greene and Joe Patterson began the rally with back-to-back singles to start the inning. After a fly ball moved Greene to third, Kenny Jackson lined a single back through the box to drive home the game's first run. D'Angelo would then hurt his own cause, however, with three consecutive errors.

The first came on an attempted pickoff at first after Jackson's single, where D'Angelo turned to throw to first but the fielder was not there. D'Angelo attempted to stop the throw and take the balk, but spiked the ball into the grass near first and it subsequently rolled down towards the right field bullpen. Patterson scored easily on the play. The next batter, Scott Arthur, laid down a squeeze, but D'Angelo stumbled as he tried to pick the ball up in front of the mound. Jackson scored on the sacrifice and ensuing miscue to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead. The Winthrop hurler then committed a final error on the sacrifice bunt that followed, but was able to overcome that one and get out of the inning.

The Aggies padded their lead with two more runs in the sixth. Shofner was hit by a pitch to start the frame and Jackson followed with a hit-and-run single through the right side to put runners at the corners. Arthur then followed with a first-pitch ground ball to first base to drive home Shofner. Gonzalez then flared a hit into left center two pitches later, scoring Jackson to make the score 5-0.

In the eighth, Gonzalez added an RBI infield single and Adam Smith a run-scoring triple to close out the scoring.

At the plate, Texas A&M pounded out 12 hits--two shy of the Aggies' season high--and were led by three hits apiece by Jackson and Andrew Collazo. Arthur and Gonzalez each drove in two runs on the night. Of note, Patterson extended his career-high hit streak to 14 games with a fourth-inning single.

For the Eagles, their three hits came in the first, eighth and ninth innings and all were doubles.

On the mound, Shane Minks and Jake Feckley combined for two shutout innings of relief out of the A&M pen.

D'Angelo (1-1) went 5 1/3 innings and allowed eight hits, five runs (three earned) and a walk while striking out two in suffering the loss.

The series continues on Saturday with first pitch set for 2:05 p.m. Sophomore Ross Stripling (2-0, 3.60) is scheduled to face Winthrop junior Robert Lake (2-0, 1.88). Fans can tune in to the game locally on WTAW-AM 1620.