Texas A&M
2-0
Holy Cross
0-2
Aggie Offense Continues to Roll in 16-11 Win
Feb 14, 2015 | Baseball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2015
Texas A&M Baseball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies' offense continued to post runs at an historic rate, logging a 16-11 win over the Holy Cross Crusaders on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park on Saturday afternoon.
The run tsunami gives Texas A&M 35 on the season, the highest total through two games in school history. The previous best by the Maroon and White came in 1989 when the Aggies posted 20-7 and 11-10 wins over Pan American (now UT Pan American) to start the year.
It marked the second consecutive game the Aggies amassed 15 hits. Saturday's tally included just two extra-base hits, a pair of doubles by Mitchell Nau, but A&M benefitted from 10 walks and three hit batsmen.
Three players tallied three hits to lead the Aggie arsenal. JB Moss went 3-for-5 with one run and a career-high five RBI. Nau slugged 3-for-4 with one run, two doubles, one walk and two RBI. Blake Allemand batted 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Ronnie Gideon and Logan Taylor both logged multiple hits for the second consecutive game with two apiece.
After being held to five hits on Friday, the Holy Cross bats came alive on Saturday with 14 knocks. Anthony Critelli paced the Crusaders going 3-for-5 with one double, one sacrifice bunt and four RBI. Evan Ocello, Jack St. Clair, Dan Vucovich and Cam O'Neill added two hits apiece.
The Aggies pounced the Crusaders for four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Gideon was hit by a pitch to start the inning and, after Allemand singled to centerfield, Taylor sacrificed both runners into scoring position with a bunt. G.R. Hinsley singled through the right side of the infield to plate both runs. Moss kept the inning going with a singled to centerfield and a wild pitch pushed runners to second and third. A sacrifice fly by Ryne Birk and an RBI single by Nau gave A&M the four-run cushion.
The Crusaders offered an immediate response in the top of the third. Vucovich singled up the middle to start the frame and an error by Gideon at third base and a walk issued to Josh Hassell to load the bases. Ocello singled to centerfield for Holy Cross' first run of the game. A sacrifice fly by Nick Lovullo and a two-run double by Critelli tied the game at 4-4.
Texas A&M reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third. Nick Banks drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored when Taylor slapped a single up the middle.
Holy Cross claimed its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth. O'Neill hit a leadoff single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hassell. After Ocello struck out for the second out of the inning, Lovullo and St. Clair drew walks to load the bases. Brigham Hill came in from the bullpen to spell Aggie starter Grayson Long. Critelli was able to flare a double to leftfield, knocking in the tying and go-ahead runs for the 6-5 lead.
The Crusaders added an insurance run in the fifth with back-to-back one-out singles by Vucovich and O'Neill, a wild pitch and an infield single by Ocello for the 7-5 advantage.
Texas A&M started clawing back in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Gideon reached on an infield single and with two outs Taylor singled and Hinsley walked to load the bags with Ags. Moss delivered the clutch two-out single to centerfield to drive in a pair and tie the game at 7-7.
The resilient Crusaders grabbed the lead for the third straight inning, this time with one run for the 8-7 advantage. St. Clair singled to rightfield, moved to second on a Critelli sacrifice bunt and scored on a Connor Perry double to the gap in left-centerfield.
The last lead change of the game came in the home half of the sixth. Nau drew a four-pitch walk to start the frame, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a groundout by Logan Nottebrok and scored the equalizer on another wild pitch. Banks rebooted the rally with a five-pitch walk and a steal of second base. Gideon singled to leftfield and after wandering to far from first base, he sacrificed himself in a run-down, allowing Banks to scurry home for the go-ahead run.
Texas A&M created separation with their second seven-run inning of the season as the wheels fell off the wagon for the Crusaders in the bottom of the seventh. The cavalcade of runs featured a sacrifice fly by Moss, a RBI double by Nau, an RBI single by Banks, a two-run single by Allemand and a two-run single by Moss as A&M sent 11 batters to the plate. The Aggies staked claim to a 16-8 lead with the explosion.
Holy Cross scratched out three runs in the eighth, but it was too little, too late.
Long labored through 3.2 innings in his first start of the season. He allowed six runs, five earned, on four hits and five walks while striking out five in 3.2 innings. Jason Freeman (1-0) earned the win in relief, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits and one walk in 2.1 innings. Ty Schlottmann closed out the game, retiring five of the six batters he faced in 1.2 innings with one hit and two strikeouts.
Zach Fox (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Holy Cross. He allowed two runs in relief on two hits and two walks in 1.0 innings. Starter Donny Murray allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout in 4.2 innings.
The Aggies will go for the series sweep on Sunday as the teams meet in a 12:05 pm contest at Blue Bell Park.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head coach Rob Childress
Thoughts on the game….
“Just like yesterday we had a lot of base runners and we had about seven two-out runs. It was just a relentless lineup and one that won't go away. Holy Cross got a little hope. They came back and scored four and just like that they have life in their dugout. They continued to score and we couldn't stop them, but we just continued to answer every time they scored with a couple more than they had. You have to find a way to win. Losing is easy. All you have to do is show up and say it's not your day. We found a way to outscore them today. “
Senior shortstop Blake Allemand
On another day of great production…
“Its starts off at the top with having good at bats all the way through. We were really hitting the ball well, seeing the ball well, and feeding off each other. We have a really deep lineup and it's a lot of fun to be a part of.”
On the pressure to hit with everyone hitting around you…
“I joke in the locker room “You only had two hits what are you doing?” Yesterday I went 2-for-5 and felt like I had a bad game because everyone hit the ball so well. It's contagious. One guy has a good at-bat, then another guy follows suit and next thing you know you have five runs. It's been fun. We have a good approach and we have to stay with it to keep it going.”
Junior centerfielder JB Moss
On going deep into counts…
“We had good at-bats. We stayed within ourselves. We didn't try to do too much and we were resilient. We have a great lineup with a lot of guys that can get the big hits. We understand our roles. That's what leads to the good at-bats and that's what leads to the walks.”
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Freeman, Jason (1-0)
L: Fox,Zach (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Critelli,Anthony 2 ; Perry,Connor 1
RBI: Ocello,Evan 2 ; Lovullo,Nick 1 ; Critelli,Anthony 4 ; Perry,Connor 2 ; Vucovich,Dan 1 ; O'Neill,Cam 1
SH: Critelli,Anthony 1 ; Hassell,Josh 1
SF: Lovullo,Nick 1 ; Perry,Connor 1 ; O'Neill,Cam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ocello,Evan 1 ; Lovullo,Nick 2 ; St.Clair,Jack 2 ; Critelli,Anthony 1 ; Vucovich,Dan 2 ; O'Neill,Cam 2 ; Hassell,Josh 1
SB: Ocello,Evan 1
Batting:
2B: Nau, Mitchell 2
RBI: Moss, J.B. 5 ; Birk, Ryne 1 ; Nau, Mitchell 2 ; Banks, Nick 1 ; Allemand, Blake 2 ; Taylor, Logan 1 ; Hinsley, G.R. 2
SH: Taylor, Logan 1
SF: Moss, J.B. 1 ; Birk, Ryne 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Moss, J.B. 1 ; Birk, Ryne 1 ; Nau, Mitchell 1 ; Choruby, Nick 1 ; Nottebrok, Logan 1 ; Banks, Nick 3 ; Gideon, Ronnie 2 ; Allemand, Blake 2 ; Taylor, Logan 2 ; Hinsley, G.R. 2
SB: Choruby, Nick 1 ; Nottebrok, Logan 1 ; Banks, Nick 1
HBP: Birk, Ryne 1 ; Gideon, Ronnie 1 ; Hinsley, G.R. 1
