Texas Tech Slips Past No. 5 Aggies 4-3

Friday, April 8

Lubbock, Texas

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

22-8, 7-3

Texas Tech

20-11, 5-5

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

Apr 09, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

April 9, 2011

Texas Tech 4, #5 Texas A&M 3 - 12 Innings
April 8, 2011 • Dan Law Field • Lubbock, Texas

Boxscore/Play-by-Play

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	R	H	E
Texas A&M	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	12	1
Texas Tech	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	4	13	0

Pitching	IP	H	R/ER	BB	SO
WP: John Neely	4.0	4	1/1	0	3
LP: Brandon Parrent	1.1	1	1/0	0	2

A&M Batting	AB	H	R	RBI	SB
Tyler Naquin	6	4	3	0	0
Matt Juengel	6	2	0	2	1

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech pushed across a run with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning to send the No. 5 Texas A&M baseball team to its third straight loss with a 4-3 setback in front of 3,881 fans at Dan Law Field.

The loss drops the Aggies (22-8, 7-3) out of first place in the Big 12 standings, while Texas Tech improved to 20-11 and 5-5 in league action.

The Aggies took the game's initial lead in the top of the first inning as back-to-back singles set the tone for junior third baseman Matt Juengel, who plated a run with a single up the middle.

The Red Raiders attempted to rally in the home half of the first, but Texas A&M starter John Stilson escaped a bases-loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts.

Juengel made it 2-0 Texas A&M in the top of the third as with two outs and a runner on third he dropped down a perfect bunt up the third base line and beat the throw for his second RBI single of the evening.

Tech clawed back to within a run with a two-out RBI single by catcher Kevin Whitehead in the home half of the third.

Stilson labored much of the night on the mound but put together a gritty performance and left with a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning. The junior righty finished with just the lone run and five hits against on his ledger while striking out eight and walking three.

Stilson would get a no-decision, however, as the Red Raiders were able to tie the game at 2-2 on an RBI single by Jamodrick McGruder in the bottom of the seventh.

In the bottom of the eighth, Tech took its first lead of the night as Whitehead drove in his second run of the game with an RBI double. The Red Raider catcher was lifted for pinch runner Troy Masek, who was gunned down at the plate on a bullet throw by A&M center fielder Krey Bratsen to prevent Tech from taking a two-run lead.

Down to their last out in the top of the ninth, junior first baseman Jacob House came up clutch for the Aggies with an RBI single up the middle that tied the game at 3-3 and sent the contest to extra innings.

Freshman Derrick Hadley was one of several impressive relievers out of the Aggie bullpen as the Navasota, Texas, native tossed 1.2 scoreless innings to prolong the game.

However, during the bottom of the 12th a one-out bunt single that was complicated by an Aggie throwing error put the potential winning run on second base.

Senior Steve Martin entered the game and induced a ground ball that got the second out of the inning but allowed the runner to move to third. During the next at bat, Tech shortstop Kelby Tomlinson hit a grounder that deflected off Martin's glove toward second baseman Charlie Curl. Curl ran down the ball but failed in his attempt to get the out at first which allowed the game-winning run to score from third.

Sophomore outfielder Tyler Naquin, making his first appearance at the leadoff spot in the Aggie batting order, tied a career high with four hits and scored all three of the A&M runs.

The series continues Saturday at 5 p.m. tomorrow with sophomore RHP Michael Wacha (4-1, 1.05 ERA) facing off against Tech's Trey Masek (1-2, 5.52).