May 5, 2011
May 5, 2011 • Olsen Field • College Station, Texas
Boxscore/Play-by-Play
| Â | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Dallas Baptist (31-14) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Texas A&M (31-15) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 13 | 1 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R/ER | BB | SO |
| WP: John Stilson (5-1) |
5.0 | 3 | 0/0 | 1 | 2 |
| LP: Jared Stafford (5-4) |
5.1 |
10 |
4/4 |
2 |
2 |
| A&M Batting | AB | H | R | RBI | HR |
| Matt Juengel |
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Kevin Gonzalez |
4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Junior designated hitter Matt Juengel went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the No. 9 Texas A&M baseball team to a 4-2 victory over Dallas Baptist on Thursday night at Olsen Field in the opener of a three-game series between the schools.
The win improved the Aggies' overall record to 31-15 this season while dropping the Patriots to 31-14 on the year.
Texas A&M wasted no time getting going offensively in the contest as sophomore outfielder Tyler Naquin singled to lead off the bottom of the first. The knock extended his career-best hitting streak to 22 games and moved him into fourth place on the all-time A&M list.
After advancing to second on groundout, Naquin scored the contest's opening run on a RBI double by Juengel. Junior first baseman Jacob House kept the hot start going as he singled up the middle to drive in Juengel and give the Aggies a 2-0 lead.
During his last eight games, Juengel has hit safely in each contest and carries a .444 (12-for-27) clip at the plate. His offensive production will be something the A&M coaching is counting on during the team's stretch run.
"I thought Matt had a big night," Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. "He's been swinging the bat well and had a really good weekend in Columbia. We didn't come away with the series win, but Matt did have a good series at the plate. It's not how you start; it's how you finish and I know Matt continues to work hard every day and he's starting to swing the bat well. I think his confidence could go a long way."
Senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez extended the home advantage in the bottom of the fourth as he connected on a one-out solo home run. The blast was Gonzalez's fourth of the second and his third in his last seven games.
Junior pitcher John Stilson (5-1) blanked the Patriots for the first five innings of the contest to pick up the win for the Aggies. The Texarkana, Texas, native allowed just three hits in the contest while walking one and striking out two.
Following Stilson, sophomore lefty Brandon Parrent took over duties on the mound to begin the top of the sixth. After an error allowed the leadoff man to reach base, DBU second baseman Tyler Robbins connected on a two-run home run off Parrent, cutting the home lead down to 3-2.
Parrent recovered after the long ball and got out of the inning with the A&M lead intact before returning to the mount to toss a scoreless seventh.
Texas A&M plated an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as senior shortstop Kenny Jackson executed a perfect safety squeeze and reached on a bunt RBI single.
Sophomore pitcher Kyle Martin allowed four hits over the game's final two innings but was resilient on the mound. The Austin, Texas, native worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth, retiring DBU's No. 3 and No. 4 hitters to earn his first career save.
"Winning the game the way we did there in the ninth inning was what was most important after what we've been through the last week," Childress said. "For Kyle (Martin) to be out there, I thought it was a good win. There was a little stress there at the end but we got through it and that was important because we hadn't done that in a while ... Kyle being able to get the job done was important for us tonight and important for us down the stretch."
The series continues tomorrow with a 6:35 p.m. contest at Olsen Field. The Aggies will send sophomore pitcher Michael Wacha (5-3, 1.99 ERA) to the mound to face DBU right-hander Brandon Williamson (8-1, 3.40 ERA).