Top-ranked Aggies Notch Comeback Win Against No. 13 Rice

Tuesday, April 7

College Station

6:30 PM

Texas A&M

31-2

Rice

22-13

Rice

Texas A&M

Apr 07, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 1 Texas A&M Aggies scored three late runs Tuesday evening to notch a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the No. 13 Rice Owls on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.

Texas A&M (31-2) trailed Rice 3-1 at the seventh-inning stretch, but used a pair of dingers to tie the score and an eighth inning single by Ronnie Gideon knocked in the winning run as the Aggies won their 15th consecutive midweek game.

With the at-bat chances waning for the Aggies, they went to the long ball in the seventh inning. With one out, JB Moss connected on a 0-1 offering from Rice starter Austin Orewiler, blasting it over the leftfield fence to cut the Owls' lead to 3-2. Rice went to the bullpen, handing the ball to Josh Pettitte. Logan Nottebrook offered up a rude greeting, crushing Pettitte's third pitch for a moon shot to centerfield, tying the score with the back-to-back whammies.

Rice (22-13) squandered an opportunity to reclaim the lead in the top of the eighth. The Owls got runners on the corners with one out, by Ryan Hendrix entered the game and snared a sharp grounder back to the mound by Kirby Taylor to start the inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.

The Aggies kept Uncle Mo in their corner with a rally in the home half of the eighth. With one out, Mitchell Nau drew a walk to start the inning. Rice closer Matt Ditman entered the game and was welcomed by Nick Banks who laced a slicing one-hopper over the glove of the Owls' second baseman for a single, putting runners on the corners. Nau was replaced at third by pinch-runner Matt Collins. Logan Taylor struck out swinging for the second out of the inning, but Ronnie Gideon came through with the two-out RBI, hitting a single deep in the hole at shortstop that was gloved by diving Leon Byrd, but he was unable to make a play and Collins scurried home for the go-ahead run.

Mark Ecker entered the game in the ninth and closed it out with a fly out and two strikeouts for his fifth save of the season.

The Aggies drew first blood in the bottom of the third inning. Michael Barash started the frame by bouncing a single up the middle. After Blake Allemand flied out to rightfield, Barash moved to second on a groundout to shortstop by Ryne Birk. Mitchell Nau hit a wall-banger to the gap in right-center to plate Barash with the game's initial run.

The Owls knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Ford Stainback bounced a single up the middle to begin the inning and moved to second when Leon Byrd hit a high chopper to first base for the first out. John Clay Reeves sent Stainback home with the equalizer, punching a single up the middle.

Rice wrangled the lead away from the Aggies in the top of the fifth. Kirby Taylor hustled out a double on a gapper to left-center. After Tristan Gray was caught looking at strike three for the first out of the inning, Hunter Kopycinski singled to rightfield, giving the Owls runners at the corners. Ryan Chandler knocked in Taylor with a double to left-center and Kopycinski came home to score on a groundout to short by Stainback, staking Rice to a 3-1 lead.

Nau led all offensive players, going 3-for-3 with one walk, one double and one RBI. Nottebrook added a pair of hits for the Aggies.

Stainback, Teykl and Kopycinski all had two hits for Rice.

The A&M bullpen tip-toed through 4.2 scoreless fames working around five hits while striking out five. Hendrix (2-0) earned the win, needing just two pitches to record two outs to end the eighth.

Pettitte (1-1) was saddled with the loss for Rice, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two over 1.0 inning.

The Aggies continue the nine-game homestand on Friday as they begin a three-game series against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. First pitch in the opener on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park is slated for 6:35 pm.

TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Head Coach Rob Childress
On the game…
“What a great game for the fans. Two great teams going at it, two great starts. There were a lot of great moments that defined this game. I think I left our starter in one pitch too long. We had the lefty hot for the top of the order. Turner (Larkins) got us off to a great start. We had a whole inning transpire where we didn't make the pitches we need to with 1-2 counts. We gave up two runs, but give their hitters credit. From that point on our bullpen was fantastic. (Ty) Schlottmann was able to keep it at one. (Andrew) Vinson was able to get us off the field and (Ryan) Hendrix got us off the field and out of trouble with that double-play ball. Great game for the team.”

On the win against an in-state ranked opponent…
“I think it's big for the fans. I talk to our team and they think all the games we play now our big. When you play 30 games in the SEC no game is bigger than another and I think our guys look at it that way. We were ready to go tonight and we weren't any more than ready than we were last Saturday or for any other game. We don't make it out to be anything more than it is and that's one of the benefits of playing in the league that we do. “

Sophomore pitcher Ryan Hendrix
On knowing (Mark) Ecker could do the job...
“Oh yeah all of our pitching staff is amazing this year. Anybody that comes out can get it done but Ecker did a good job though. You couldn't do any better than that.”

Junior outfielder J.B Moss
On being the spark…
“I was happy to come through and be a spark for the team and get that monkey off of our backs. We went through a couple innings in a row without getting on base and getting a run across. Tonight wasn't about me. I was able to be the spark but we had guys in the lineup that I thought did a really good job tonight. It happened to be my name and I was happy to do it.”

On beating Rice…
“It feels good. In our conference there are no “big games”. Every weekend is a big weekend and every game is a big game. Every win matters the same. It is good to beat Rice. They have a really good team. They can really pitch and hit. I am really proud of our team tonight, and the way we came back. We could have easily said today is not our day. We were down in the seventh inning and we could have given up and gone on to the weekend. But the way we responded that late in the game, I was happy with my team.”