No. 22 Aggies Even Series with Kansas, 6-4

Friday, April 2

Lawrence, Kan.

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

18-8, 5-3

Kansas

18-10, 3-2

Texas A&M

Kansas

Apr 02, 2010 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

April 2, 2010

Final Stats

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Adam Smith delivered a key two-out, two-run single and John Stilson tossed the final 4 2/3 innings to lead No. 22 Texas A&M to a 6-4 win over Kansas Friday evening before 1,191 fans at Hoglund Ballpark.

Stilson entered the game with two on in scoring position and one out in the fifth to protect a 3-1 lead. The Jayhawks got one of those home but would not score again until tallying a pair of unearned runs in the ninth. Smith's hit came with two down in the seventh and extended a slim two-run A&M lead.

The victory moved the Aggies to 18-8 and 5-3 in Big 12 play, while the Jayhawks (18-10, 3-2) saw a nine-game home win streak snapped as they lost in Lawrence for only the second time this season.

"Today was a big day for us," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "It was a big toughness test for us to answer the bell after not being able to finish the series last weekend, losing a tough one on the road Tuesday and then last night's performance. I was really proud of the way we answered the bell."

Consecutive one-out doubles by Robby Price and Brian Heere staked Kansas to a 1-0 lead in the first.

A&M starter Ross Stripling quickly settled in, however, retiring eight in a row to push the game into the fourth. It would be there that the Aggies would crack the scoreboard off KU starter Cameron Selik in the fourth, combining clutch hitting with good execution to take a 3-1 lead.

After Caleb Shofner was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Kenny Jackson lined an 0-1 pitch to left field. Jimmy Waters tried to make a diving catch, but the ball got just under his glove and rolled all the way to the wall. The double brought Shofner home easily with the tying run. After a perfect sacrifice bunt by Adam Smith moved Jackson to third, Kevin Gonzalez poked a base hit through the middle to give A&M its first lead of the night. Andrew Collazo then dropped another great sac bunt to push Gonzalez into scoring position, and Scott Arthur cashed in with an RBI single up the middle to push the Aggie lead to two.

A one-out double by Brodie Greene set the stage for a big seventh for the Aggies. Joe Patterson worked a 13-pitch at-bat into a walk that loaded the bases, and Shofner was plunked with a curveball to force a run home and make the score 4-2. One out later, Adam Smith drove a 1-0 pitch through the hole on the right side, scoring two more and bumping the A&M lead to four.

"Patterson's at-bat was by far and away one of the best of the year," Childress said. "He drew a 13-pitch walk, and then Adam Smith comes up and gets a big two-out hit for us to drive in those runs. That turned out to be the game winner."

Stilson kept Kansas in check until the ninth, when a lead error would extend the inning for the Jayhawks. Price cashed in the miscue and an infield single with a two-out, two-run double to left to make the score 6-4. With Heere at the plate, Stilson induced a sharply-hit grounder to first, where Jackson made a nice play and stepped on the bag to end the game.

Wood and Gonzalez had a pair of hits each for the Aggies, who out-hit Kansas, 9-8. Smith's two RBIs were a team high.

Price paced the Jayhawk offense by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Jimmy Waters added a pair of hits and Heere contributed two RBIs.

Stilson (6-0) earned his league-leading sixth win of the season after allowing four hits and two unearned runs over a career-best 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Stripling lasted 4 1/3 and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out one KU hitter on the night.

"I thought Ross Stripling gave us a quality start as far as getting us off on the right foot," Childress said. "In the fifth, I felt like it was very important to get John Stilson out there. We really needed a win today, and I was proud of John. We spread him farther than we've ever spread him, and obviously he won't be available tomorrow but it was important for us to win today."

Selik (6-2) suffered the loss for Kansas. He went 6 2/3 and gave up eight hits, six runs and two walks while fanning a career-best eight. A pair of Jayhawk relievers combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings out of the pen.

The series concludes on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.

"It's very important to pick up a series win on the road," Childress said. "If we're going to finish at the top of this league, and we're on the road and have the opportunity to win a series, we've got to be able to do that. We haven't answered the bell on Sunday yet in conference play and tomorrow needs to be the day."

NOTES: Caleb Shofner saw his career-high hit streak snapped at 14 games ... Shofner was 0-for-2 on the night while being hit by three pitches ... he scored two runs and drove in one ... Brodie Greene has now reached safely (hit, walk or HBP) in 22 straight games and all but one this season ... he has hit safely in 19 of his last 22 games ... game-time temperature was 67 degrees with clear skies and winds blowing out to left at 17 miles per hour.