Aggies Down Sam Houston, 3-1

Tuesday, May 4

Huntsville, Texas

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

26-17-1

Sam Houston

17-29

Texas A&M

Sam Houston State

May 04, 2010 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

May 4, 2010

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Texas A&M got three hits apiece from Joe Patterson and Brodie Greene and a strong start by Michael Wacha to lead the Aggies to a 3-1 win over Sam Houston State Tuesday night before 1,517 fans at Don Sanders Stadium.

Smith, Patterson and Greene--A&M's three through five hitters--combined for nine of the 12 hits on the night for the Aggies (26-17-1) and drove in all three runs. Wacha made the runs stand up, allowing just one over a career-high tying seven innings. John Stilson then blanked SHSU (17-29) over the final two frames to earn the save.

"I thought we pitched well and played good defense," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "Our two pitchers tonight had a chance to crack, but neither Michael or John allowed them to cash in. That was huge. The middle of the lineup had a great night for us. We are giving ourselves a lot of opportunities to get hits with runners in scoring position, and that's all you can ask for. This was a big win for us."

Brodie Greene started the scoring in the third, poking a two-out single through the left side of the infield to plate Scott Arthur.

Smith led off the sixth with a solo home run to left, his fourth of the season, to make the score 2-0.

Sam Houston would respond with two hits and a walk off Wacha to start their half of the frame, cutting the lead in half and putting the tying run in scoring position with no outs. Wacha responded however, getting a strikeout and two fly-ball outs to preserve the lead.

After Smith began the eighth with a double inside the bag at third, Patterson delivered a key run-scoring single through the middle to give the Aggies a two-run cushion.

The Bearkats threatened in the eighth, getting the lead batter to second on a dropped infield pop-up, but Stilson buckled down and got a groundout, strikeout and another grounder to escape unscathed. He then allowed a one-out single in the ninth, but recorded a grounder and then struck out the final hitter of the game swinging.

Wacha (5-2) matched a career high with seven innings of work. He scattered five hits and allowed one run and a walk while striking out eight. Stilson's save was his seventh of the year, giving up a hit and punching out three over two innings.

Sam used six pitchers on the night, with Paul Spinn (2-6) taking the loss after allowing the Aggies' third-inning run.

Texas A&M returns to action on Thursday when the Aggies open a three-game series with Dallas Baptist. First pitch at Olsen Field is set for 6:35 p.m.