Aggie Baseball Seizes Big 12's Top Spot with 5-1 Win over OSU

Saturday, April 23

College Station

2:05 PM

Texas A&M

28-11, 13-4

Oklahoma State

28-11, 10-7

Oklahoma State

Texas A&M

Apr 23, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

April 23, 2011

#6 Texas A&M 5, #15 Oklahoma State 1
April 23, 2011 • Oslen Field • College Station, Texas

Boxscore/Play-by-Play

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Oklahoma St. (28-11)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	2
Texas A&M (28-11)	0	0	1	0	0	2	2	0	X	5	9	3

Pitching	IP	H	R/ER	BB	SO
WP: Michael Wacha (5-2)	6.2	4	1/0	2	8
LP: Randy McCurry (2-2)	1.1	2	2/2	0	1

A&M Batting	AB	H	R	RBI	2B
Matt Juengel	2	1	1	2	1
Kevin Gonzalez	4	1	1	1	0

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Aggie left fielder Brandon Wood made a leaping catch against the outfield wall with two-outs in the top of the ninth inning to rob a potential three-run home run and put the final exclamation point on the No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team's 5-1 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma State at Olsen Field.

"Brandon made a great play after coming off the bench and getting a big hit for us in his one at bat," Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. "It was a great play to end the game with their best hitter waiting for us on deck. Nick Fleece was really sharp and overpowering in that eighth inning, leading us to make the decision to send him back out there for the ninth which turned out to be a good one. Oklahoma State is not going to quit or go away. They can turn the game around on a dime with their offense and they just about did there in the ninth inning."

The win improved the Aggies' overall record to 28-11 this season and gave them sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings with a 13-4 league mark. It also ensured the Aggies will win their school record sixth straight series to begin Big 12 play.

Eight of the nine Aggies in Saturday's starting line-up recorded a hit, allowing the balanced offensive attack to take control of the contest late in the game in support of a solid starting pitching performance from Michael Wacha, who earned the win and improved to 5-2 on the year.

Among the Aggies who hit safely was sophomore right fielder Tyler Naquin, who singled in the fifth to extend his career-best hitting streak to 15 games.

Oklahoma State (28-11, 10-7 Big 12) struck first in the contest by scoring an unearned run in the top of the third inning. The lead would be short-lived and the Cowboys' only advantage of the contest, however, as the Aggies responded with a score of their own in the home half of the inning.

Wacha worked his way out of a two-on, no outs jam in the top of the sixth to keep the score knotted at one run apiece. The Texarkana, Texas, native tossed 6.2 innings in the winning effort, scattering four hits with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts along the way.

"I felt like he (Wacha) was really good," Childress said. "He had something to prove out there after he felt like his last two starts weren't up to his standards. You could just tell he was ready to go today and he got us off to a fantastic start. He had a great finish but I felt like he got a little bit tired there in the seventh inning and (Kyle) Martin was able to come in and get us a big out."

Senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez broke the 1-1 tie during the Aggies' half of the sixth with a two-out RBI single to left center that plated designated hitter Matt Juengel, who had reached after being hit by a pitch. Gonzalez himself came home with a second A&M run in the frame by scoring on a Charlie Curl base hit. The knock was almost a two-run single but Kenny Jackson was gunned down at the plate by OSU right fielder Devin Shines.

""It was a gritty tough at bat," Childress added. "Gonzo fouled off two or three pitches with two strikes and was able to get one into left center and score an important run."

The clutch Aggie hits made the score 3-1 and set the table for A&M to get creative in the home half of the seventh. During the frame, the Aggies got a leadoff walk followed by a single off the bat of Krey Bratsen to put a pair of runners on base.

Later with one out in the frame and runners on second and third, Juengel laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to the right of the pitcher's mound which scored the runner from third and allowed the speedy Bratsen to come all the way in from second.

The 5-1 lead would be all the A&M bullpen needed as sophomore Kyle Martin retired the final batter of the seventh before giving way to senior Nick Fleece, who held the Cowboys scoreless in the eighth and ninth, in no small part to the leaping grab by Wood that ended the game.

Texas A&M baseball will go for the sweep of the Cowboys Sunday at Olsen Field during the series finale which is slated for a 1:05 p.m. start. The Aggies will send junior right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling (7-2, 2.62 ERA) to the mound. Oklahoma State has not announced a starting pitcher for the contest.

"We're still fighting to stay at the top," Childress said. "Championships are won on Sundays. Everybody's fighting for something; Oklahoma State will be playing for something tomorrow and so will we."