No. 11 Aggies Earn Series Win at No. 2 Oklahoma with 5-2 Victory

Sunday, March 20

Norman, Okla.

1:00 PM

Texas A&M

15-5, 2-1

Oklahoma

17-5, 1-2

Texas A&M

Oklahoma

Mar 20, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

March 20, 2011

Final Stats

NORMAN, Okla. - Junior first baseman Jacob House's two-run double in the top of the seventh inning was a pivotal play in a complete team effort Sunday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park, lifting the No. 11 Texas A&M baseball team to a 5-2 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma.

The win secures the series victory for the Aggies, who improved to 15-5 overall with a 2-1 mark in Big 12 play, while the Sooners dropped to 17-5 (1-2 Big 12).

"This has been a great week for our team, starting against Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday," head coach Rob Childress said. "Winning that game and coming on the road to play the No. 2 team in the country to begin conference was a challenge that our players embraced. We lose in a heart-breaker on Friday night, 1-0, striking out 13 times, for us to come out and answer the bell the last two days, I couldn't be more proud of our team. We just keep finding out more and more about our team as we play and I thought our offensive approach was outstanding on Saturday and Sunday."

Freshman second baseman Charlie Curl gave the Aggies the early lead with a sac fly in the top of the second inning, scoring senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez, who reached on a one-out walk.

After the Sooners tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third, the Aggies went back to work during the visitor's half of the fourth. Back-to-back singles by Matt Juengel and House led off the inning and the two runners were moved into scoring position by a sacrifice from Gonzalez. Texas A&M's middle infielders tagged up to put two more runs on the board as both senior shortstop Kenny Jackson and Curl notched run-scoring singles in the frame to make it 3-1 A&M.

OU third baseman Garrett Buchele, who drove in the first Sooner run of the day with an RBI ground out, put a second OU run on the board in the bottom of the fifth when he connected on his Big 12-leading sixth home run of the season.

The long ball was just one of only a few mistakes made by Texas A&M starter Ross Stripling (4-1), who put together an overall solid outing on the mound. The Southlake, Texas, native allowed just two runs in six innings of work while scattering seven hits and notching seven strikeouts.

With the game remaining a tight, one-run affair, the Aggies got the leadoff man on base in both the fourth and fifth frames but could not cash in on the insurance runs. That looked to be the situation again in the top of the seventh as freshman Jace Statum doubled to begin the inning. Following a sac bunt and a walk to Tyler Naquin, a ground out left the Sooners just one out away from escaping another jam and keeping the score 3-2 Aggies.

House had other ideas, however, as the Mansfiled, Texas, native battled OU reliever Bobby Shore to a full count before sharply doubling into right field to plate both runners and give Texas A&M a three-run cushion at 5-2.

For the game, House finished 2-for-4 at the plate, joining Bratsen and Jackson as Aggies with multi-hit games. Naquin, meanwhile, saw his season-high eight-game hitting streak snapped but the Spring, Texas, reached base on a walk and scored in the seventh.

Out of the A&M bullpen a trio of relievers - Nick Fleece, Brandon Parrent and Joaquin Hinojosa - combined to keep the Sooners scoreless for the game's final three innings with Hinojosa picking up his second save of the year.

The Aggies return home to the friendly confines of Olsen Field Tuesday when they will host Stephen F. Austin in a 6:35 p.m. contest.