Texas A&M
29-18-1
Houston
20-27
Texas A&M 12, Houston 3
May 11, 2010 | Baseball
May 11, 2010
HOUSTON--Adam Smith's grand slam in the sixth inning sparked Texas A&M to a 12-3 win over Houston Tuesday evening before 2,006 fans at Cougar Field.
The Aggies (29-18-1) fed off the big hit, scoring 11 runs in their final four at-bats in winning for the ninth time in 13 games. The Cougars fell to 20-27 with the loss.
"I thought we played very well," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "Michael Wacha was very sharp and had a great outing. We didn't have a great approach against Brett Laird, but when he got himself in trouble and we got the bases loaded, we got the big hit when it counted. We also made some game-changing plays defensively that kept the momentum on our side. This was a big win for us."
U of H took the early lead in the third on a one-out Blake Kelso single, but the Aggies responded in their next at-bat on a Joe Patterson hit that deadlocked the score at one.
Entering the sixth and with the score the same, UH starter Brett Laird issued back-to-back walks to start the inning and was lifted for reliever Chase Dempsay. After Matt Juengel was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Smith drove a 1-0 offering well past the fence in left center to stake A&M to a four-run lead.
Brodie Greene would hit a leadoff home run one inning later to make the score 7-1.
Hinojosa picked up two more RBIs in the eighth on a perfectly executed double squeeze that plated Kevin Gonzalez and Scott Arthur. The Aggies tacked on three more in the ninth, highlighted by a Gonzalez RBI single.
Smith, Hinojosa, Greene and Joe Patterson had two hits apiece for A&M, which out-hit Houston, 11-9. Kelso and Austin Gracey each notched a pair of hits for the Cougars.
Freshman Michael Wacha (6-2) picked up the win after throwing 6 2/3 strong. He allowed six hits, two runs and a walk while punching out six.
Laird (1-1) took the loss after giving up five hits, three runs and three walks over five-plus innings of work.
Texas A&M returns to action on Wednesday when the Aggies host Summit League leader Centenary (22-18) in a rescheduled game. First pitch at Olsen Field is set for 6:35 p.m. Fans are asked to use their original tickets for admission, with reprints available through the Athletic Ticket Office or at the stadium prior to the game.
POSTGAME NOTES: Texas A&M now leads the all-time series, 108-54-1 ... the Aggies posted their 13th come-from-behind win of the year ... A&M improved to 8-4 in mid-week contests in 2010 ... the Aggies reached double figures in runs for the seventh time this year ... Joe Patterson hit one against Texas State ... Smith's four RBIs matched a career high, set in his first-ever game in an A&M uniform (Feb. 20, 2009 vs Wright State) ... Joe Patterson had a pair of hits and now has seven consecutive multi-hit games ... Patterson has hit safely in 10 straight, his third double-digit hit streak of the year (11 games, 10 games, 10 games) ... Smith's miscue at second base was his first at the position this year in 94 chances (.989 fielding percentage).
Texas A&M 12, Houston 3 (May 11, 2010 at Houston, TX)
Texas A&M........... 000 105 123 - 12 11 2 (29-18-1)
Houston............. 001 000 110 - 3 9 2 (20-27)
Pitchers: Texas A&M - Wacha, Michael; Stilson, John(7); Fleece, Nick(9) and Gonzalez, Kevin.
Houston - Barry Laird; Chase Dempsay(6); Tanner Shiflett(7); Ty Stuckey(8); James Conlee(9) and Chris Wallace.
Win-Wacha, Michael(6-2) Loss-Barry Laird(1-1) T-3:10 A-2006
HR TA - Brodie Greene (8); Smith, Adam (5).
Weather: 82, mostly cldy, wind S15 (24)
Game notes:
UH Coach Rayner Noble ejected by 1B umpire Danny Mascorro in eighth.
Laird faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Stuckey faced 3 batters in the 9th.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wacha, Michael (6-2)
L: Barry Laird (1-1)
Batting:
HR: Greene, Brodie 1 ; Smith, Adam 1
RBI: Hinojosa, Joaquin 3 ; Greene, Brodie 1 ; Patterson, Joe 1 ; Smith, Adam 4 ; Gonzalez, Kevin 1
SH: Hinojosa, Joaquin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Naquin, Tyler 1 ; Greene, Brodie 2 ; Patterson, Joe 2 ; Juengel, Matt 2 ; Smith, Adam 2 ; Gonzalez, Kevin 1 ; Collazo, Andrew 1 ; Arthur, Scott 1
SB: Naquin, Tyler 1 ; Patterson, Joe 1 ; Collazo, Andrew 1 ; Arthur, Scott 1
CS: Greene, Brodie 1
HBP: Naquin, Tyler 1 ; Juengel, Matt 1 ; Smith, Adam 1
Batting:
2B: Zak Presley 1 ; Joel Ansley 1
3B: Blake Kelso 1
RBI: Blake Kelso 2 ; Ryan Still 1
Base Running:
RUNS: M.P. Cokinos 1 ; Ryan Still 2
SB: Zak Presley 1 ; Ryan Still 1
HBP: Zak Presley 1
