No. 5 Aggies Open Baylor Series with 5-1 Win

Friday, April 15

Waco, Texas

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

25-9, 10-3

Baylor

19-16, 5-8

Texas A&M

Baylor

Apr 15, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

April 15, 2011

#5 Texas A&M 5, Baylor 1
April 15, 2011 • Baylor Ballpark • Waco, Texas

Boxscore/Play-by-Play

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Texas A&M (25-9)	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	0	5	10	0
Baylor (19-16)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	7	2

Pitching	IP	H	R/ER	BB	SO
WP: John Stilson (3-1)	8.0	5	0/0	4	7
LP: Josh Turley (2-2)	7.0	9	5/4	1	1

A&M Batting	AB	H	R	RBI	3B
Brandon Wood	3	2	2	1	1
Adam Smith	4	2	1	1	0

WACO, Texas - Timely hitting and eight shutout innings from junior pitcher John Stilson lifted the No. 5 Texas A&M baseball team to a 5-1 victory over Baylor at Baylor Ballpark Friday in the opening contest of a three-game Big 12 Conference series.

The win ensured the Aggies (25-9; 10-3 Big 12) remained in a tie atop the Big 12 standings with Texas, which also won on Friday. Baylor, meanwhile, fell to 19-16 overall and 5-8 in league play.

Stilson (3-1) put together a scrappy performance on the mound which earned the Texarkana, Texas, native his third victory of the season as he scattered five hits while walking four and striking out seven.

Junior third baseman Adam Smith continued his resurgence at the plate as he led off the top of the third inning with a double to give the Aggies their first hit and a runner in scoring position. Smith scored during the next at bat as a senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez beat out a bunt single while the throw to get him at first was mishandled and allowed the run to come home.

Smith, who was 2-for-4 at the plate for his 33rd career multi-hit game, drove in the Aggies' second run of the contest by executing a perfectly placed bunt single with two-outs in the top of the fourth.

The bottom three batters in the Aggie line-up were a combined 6-for-11 with four of the five Aggie runs scored.

During the top of the fifth, Texas A&M tacked two more runs onto its lead, opening up a 4-0 advantage. Gonzalez began the frame with a double into right field and was quickly brought home by sophomore left fielder Brandon Wood, who tripled in the next at bat. Right fielder Tyler Naquin plated Wood with a sac fly to center shortly thereafter.

Naquin drove in his second run of the game and extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games with an RBI single in the top of the seventh that made it 5-0 Aggies.

Baylor starter Josh Turley (2-2) took the loss for the Bears after allowing five runs in seven innings of work.

Senior Nick Fleece pitched the ninth inning in relief of Stilson and came within one out of handing Baylor its first shutout home loss in Big 12 play since the 1998 season.

The series resumes Saturday as the scene shifts to Texas A&M's Olsen Field for game two, which is slated for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha (4-1, 1.23) will get the start for the Aggies against Baylor righty Trent Blank (2-1 5.08).