Aggies Open Big 12 Championship with 10-5 Win over Texas Tech

Wednesday, May 25

Oklahoma City, Okla.

4:00 PM

Texas A&M

33-24

Texas Tech

39-18

Texas Tech

Texas A&M

May 25, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

May 25, 2011

No. 13 Texas A&M 10, Texas Tech 5
May 25, 2011 • RedHawks Stadium • Oklahoma City

Boxscore/Play-by-Play

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Texas Tech (33-24)	0	0	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	5	10	1
Texas A&M (39-18)	0	0	0	0	3	6	1	0	X	10	18	2

Pitching	IP	H	R/ER	BB	SO
WP: Steve Martin (1-0)	1.1	0	0/0	0	0
LP: David Paiz (3-5)	0.1	4	4/4	0	0

A&M Batting	AB	H	R	RBI	2B
Jacob House	5	5	2	2	0
Tyler Naquin	5	3	2	1	2

OKLAHOMA CITY - Junior first baseman Jacob House tied a Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship record with five hits Wednesday as the second-seeded Texas A&M baseball team defeated No. 7 seed Texas Tech 10-5 in front of 4,079 fans at RedHawks Field.

The Aggies (39-18) fell behind 5-0 in the contest but roared back with 10 unanswered runs after the top of the fifth inning to win their seventh straight contest during play at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, a streak that dates back to 2009.

"We always tell our guys it's not how you start, it's how you finish," Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. "We didn't play very well for five innings. Give Brennan Stewart credit. He did a nice job, but defensively we made a few mistakes that allowed them to get key hits. We had a couple of chances to cut into the lead. We had runners on second and third, one out in the second inning. We punch out and aren't able to cash in. We had the bases loaded, one out in the third inning, and we hit into a double play. We didn't quit. We didn't waver. We got things going offensively. Out of the 10 runs we scored, seven were with two outs. Steve Martin, Joaquin Hinojosa and Kyle Martin did a good job of stabilizing things for us on the mound. It's a good win."

Joining House, who was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate while leading the 18-hit Aggie offensive outburst, was sophomore outfielder Tyler Naquin, who went 3-for-5 at the plate. Adam Smith, Kevin Gonzalez, Brandon Wood and Andrew Collazo also contributed multi-hit games with two hits apiece.

The Red Raiders (33-24) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third as a single and a wind-blown double that eluded the glove of Naquin in right field set the tone for the inning. Tech cashed in on the opportunity with a sac fly by centerfielder Barrett Barnes and an RBI single by second baseman Nick Popescu.

Both runs were charged to Texas A&M right-hander Derrick Hadley, who got the nod on the mound after scheduled starter John Stilson reported minor soreness prior to the contest. The Navasota, Texas, native tossed the first three innings of the contest before giving way to the A&M bullpen.

"He (Stilson) is a little bit sore shoulder-wise," Childress added. "He wasn't 100 percent. That's the reason we decided to make a move. Hopefully, he'll be ready later this week. If not, he'll definitely be ready next week at our regional."

The Aggies looked poised to cut into the Red Raider lead in the bottom of the fourth as they loaded the bases against Tech starter Brennan Stewart. A leadoff single by House was followed by a one-out base knock by Gonzalez and a bunt single by Wood set the plate for senior shortstop Kenny Jackson. The Tech defense, however, was able to convert a ground ball off the bat of Jackson into an inning-ending double play to end the threat.

Texas Tech extended its lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth as Barns and Popescu notched back-to-back singles off A&M reliever Brandon Parrent. The pair came into score on sacrifice flies and right fielder Andrew Wheeler added an RBI single in the frame.

The Aggies roared back in the home half of the fifth to plate three runs of their own and cut the Red Raider lead down to 5-3. A throwing error during the frame paved the way for all three runs as the momentum shifted toward the maroon and white.

After the first batter of the bottom of the sixth was retired by Stewart, Texas A&M took complete control of the contest as seven of the next eight Aggie hitters hit safely to knock in six runs. RBI singles from Naquin, House, Smith and Krey Bratsen combined with a RBI two-bagger from Wood and a two-run double off the bat of Gonzalez left A&M with a 9-5 advantage.

"I had a few things to say to them during the game," Childress said. "I don't know if that had a whole lot to do with it. A couple players stepped up and had something to say. To me, that was kind of the turning point. We had a player step up, make a comment in the dugout and things changed after that. You have to understand there's not really a whole lot I can say at this point in the year. When the players step forward and have something to say, players listen. I was proud of (Jacob House) for stepping up and having something to say."

Junior designated hitter Matt Juengel tacked on an insurance run during the bottom of the seventh to extend the Texas A&M lead to 10-5. The Houston native connected on his team-leading fifth home run of the season, a line drive shot off Tech reliever Aaron Corwin that easily reached the bleacher seats beyond the left field wall.

Senior reliever Steve Martin (1-0) picked up the win, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings for the Aggies, who used five pitchers on the contest.

Texas Tech designated hitter/pitcher David Paiz was tagged with the loss after allowing four earned runs in just a third of an inning.

Prior to the game, Texas A&M's seniors were presented with their trophy for finishing as co-Big 12 Champions during the regular season.

The Aggies continue their run at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Thursday at 7:30 p.m. when they face Kansas State. Texas A&M will send sophomore right-hander Michael Wacha (6-3, 2.47 ERA) to the mound to face Wildcat righty Matt Applegate (5-3, 4.10 ERA).