Stripling Lifts No. 11 Aggies to 5-2 Win over Nebraska

Saturday, May 14

College Station

2:05 PM

Texas A&M

35-16, 0

Nebraska

28-23, 0

Nebraska

Texas A&M

May 14, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

May 14, 2011

#11 Texas A&M 5, Nebraska 2
May 14, 2011 • Olsen Field • College Station, Texas

Boxscore/Play-by-Play

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Nebraska (28-23)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	2	0
Texas A&M (35-16)	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	5	11	0

Pitching	IP	H	R/ER	BB	SO
WP: Ross Stripling (11-2)	8.0	2	1/1	1	6
LP: Tyler Niederklein (7-3)	4.1	9	5/5	0	2
Sv: Nick Fleece (1)	1.0	0	0/0	0	0

A&M Batting	AB	H	R	RBI
Tyler Naquin	4	2	1	1
Kenny Jackson	4	2	0	1

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Junior Ross Stripling allowed just one run on two hits during a solid eight-inning performance Saturday as the No. 11 Texas A&M baseball team defeated Nebraska 5-2 in front of 4,655 fans at Olsen Field.

"We came out and played extremely well," Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. "Offensively, we got going right away against their best pitcher statistically (Nebraska's Tyler Niederklien entered the contest with a team-high seven wins). Stripling didn't allow them to get back in the game. The opportunity they had came in the fifth inning with first and second and nobody out, but Ross was able to strike out the side to get out of it. From that point on, he gutted it through eight innings. Things got a little dicey there in the ninth but (Nick) Fleece was able to come in and finish the job."

The win improved the Aggies' overall record to 35-16, including a 17-6 mark in Big 12 games to remain atop the league standings. Nebraska, meanwhile, fell to 28-23 on the year and 7-15 in the league.

Texas A&M wasted no time jumping on the Cornhuskers, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore outfielder Tyler Naquin singled to left field on the first pitch he saw to extend his career-best hitting streak to 27 games, just one off the school record of 28 set by R.J. Englert in 1972.

Naquin crossed home plate with the contest's first run three batters later as junior first baseman Jacob House collected the RBI with a single to right field. Senior designated hitter Gregg Alcazar made it 2-0 Aggies as he followed with a run-scoring single and House scored a third run on an attempted double steal later in the frame.

During the home half of the second, Naquin collected an RBI of his own as he plated Andrew Collazo, who had singled and stole second, with a base knock through the right side.

Senior shortstop Kenny Jackson extended the home advantage to 5-0 with an RBI single to center field during the bottom of the fourth.

Nebraska starter Tyler Niederklien (7-3) took the loss on the mound for the Huskers, allowing five runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings of work.

The benefactor of the early lead, Stripling (11-2) began the game on a roll as he retired the first 12 men he faced. For the game, the Southlake, Texas, native allowed just a pair of Nebraska hits while walking only one and striking out six. Stripling's 11 victories on the mound ties him for the most by a Big 12 pitcher this season.

The Cornhuskers attempted to rally late in the contest but could only manage a single run in each of the eighth and ninth innings.

Senior Nick Fleece came on to get the final three outs of the contest and pick up his first save of the year.

Texas A&M will attempt to sweep Nebraska during Sunday's series finale, which is slated to begin at 1:05 p.m. Fans who can't make it out to the game can see all the action from Olsen Field live on Fox College Sports and FS Central.