Aggies Tug Crusaders? Cape, 6-1, to Complete Series Sweep

Sunday, February 15

College Station

12:00 PM

Texas A&M

3-0

Holy Cross

0-3

Holy Cross

Texas A&M

Feb 15, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Matt Kent stymied Holy Cross hitters for seven innings as the Texas A&M Aggies notched a 6-1 win over the Crusaders Sunday afternoon on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park to complete the three-game series sweep.

Kent (1-0) went a career-long 7.0 innings in the start. The southpaw allowed just five hits, with only two leaving the infield, while striking out one. The lone run he surrendered was an unearned tally in the first inning after a pair of A&M errors. He struck out three Crusaders and induced two double plays.

Relievers Turner Larkins and Andrew Vinson needed just a total of 20 pitches to mow through six batters in the eighth and ninth innings. Larkins fanned one and retired all three batters he faced in the eighth and Vinson struck out two of the three hitters he battled in the ninth.

The Crusaders drew first blood in the top of the first. With one out, Nick Lovello and Jack St. Clair reached on back-to-back A&M errors and Anthony Critelli made the Aggies pay with an RBI single to the gap in left centerfield. Kent was able to avoid further damage inducing a double play to end the frame.

The Aggies offered an immediate response in the home half of the inning. Holy Cross starter Ben White struggled with control early on, issuing walks to the first three batters he faced, including JB Moss, Ryne Birk and Mitchell Nau. Logan Nottebrok knotted the game at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. With two outs, Ronnie Gideon put A&M in the driver's seat with a titanic blast to centerfield, his second home run of the season. The three-run blast staked the Aggies to a 4-1 advantage.

The Maroon and White padded the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth. With two outs, Michael Barash singled through the left side of the infield and Moss followed with a two-run tater to leftfield, his first home run of the season, to give the Aggies a 6-1 cushion.

Gideon led the Aggies' arsenal, going 2-for-4 with one home run, one double and three RBI. Moss went 1-for-2 with three walks, two runs, one home run and two RBI.

A&M ended the weekend with 41 runs, marking just the fourth time the Aggies have posted 40 or more runs through the first three games of the season. The Maroon and White logged 48 runs in the first three games of 1999 and 40 through three in 1916 and 1989.

White (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Holy Cross. He allowed six runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four over 4.0 innings.

Texas A&M returns to action Tuesday when the Aggies host Stephen F. Austin in a 6:35 pm contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Head coach Rob Childress
On the pitching…
“I thought our pitching all in all as a whole was the best its been all weekend long. We started with Matt Kent and he's a guy you just put the radar gun down and appreciate what he's capable of doing out there. I thought he had a great start for us. He made a couple of mistakes in the first inning but he didn't let that get to him. He kept his composure and only gave up one then cruised after that. It was good to get Tuner Larkins out there also. He was very sharp along with Andrew Vinson.”

On starting pitcher Matt Kent…
“That's what he did to our hitters all fall long and through January and February. That's why he earned the right to be in our rotation. He certainly didn't disappoint today.”

Getting so many runs…
“It feels great and that's a tribute a tribute to Will Bolt and Justin Seely and Austin Morgan. They've done a great job with our hitters and they came prepared. One through nine they were relentless all weekend long. They swung each staying within an approach. They didn't try to take over the game even though one would think Ronnie Gideon took over the game weekend. We did a great job and that's a tribute to our coaches and our kids. “

Junior pitcher Matt Kent
On opening up the season with a series sweep…
“It's huge. Coming out 3-0 is a great for momentum going into the season. This ends the week perfectly just like we wanted it. Now we are on the SFA.:

On Ronnie Gideon's performance after the errors
“Those first two errors were on a couple of tough plays. I kept pitching and giving him a few more chances to make some good plays over there. Then he hits the big ball in the bottom of the first to redeem himself.”

On his pitching approach…
“I started trying to pitch to them as I would any other team, but then I saw that they weren't coming around on the changeup very well so I started leading with that pitch and finishing with a different pitch. It was a backwards type pitching style. Eventually, they caught on to what I was doing and I just had to change my sequence for a couple of hitters to throw them off the scent. Then I was then able to go back to doing what I was doing.”

Sophomore third basemen Ronnie Gideon
On the game…
“All I can every day is keep coming out to practice every day do is to keep doing what I'm doing every day, keep giving it my hardest.”

On the crowds…
“It was fantastic. They help us get into the game and help us at the end of the game as well. The Fans have a lot of energy here and I think that helps us a lot.”