Aggies Truck by Abilene Christian, 10-4

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies continued their home dominance with a 10-4 win over the Abilene Christian Wildcats Tuesday evening on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
 
With the victory, the Aggies improved to 21-1 at home. They have won their last four Olsen Field games by combined tally of 40-7.
 
Texas A&M (26-7) took control of the game with a four-run second inning and grabbed the Wildcats by the scruff of the neck in the sixth when they put five runs on the board.
 
Ryne Birk started the second with a single to centerfield and Michael Barash followed with a single through the left side of the infield. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and Joel Davis broke the scoring seal with a slow grounder back to the mound to plate Birk. Nick Choruby poked a single to leftfield to push Barash across for the 2-0 lead. A bunt single by Austin Homan and an infield single by J.B. Moss loaded the bases and Nick Banks followed with a single to rightfield to knock in two runs, inflating the cushion to 4-0.
 
Abilene Christian got on the board with a two-out rally in the sixth. With two down, Aaron Draper worked a four-pitch walk from A&M reliever Tyler Ivey and Heath Beasley followed with a pinch-hit double to knock in Draper and cut the Aggie advantage to 4-1.
 
Texas A&M offered an immediate and magnified response in the home half of the sixth. Hunter Melton, Birk and Barash started the frame with singles to score a run and drive Wildcat starting pitcher Nathan Cole from the game. Davis presented reliever Zach Kornely a rude greeting as he hit a full-count offering to the gap in right-center for a two-run triple. Choruby knocked in Davis with a single, stole second base and moved to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Homan capped off the cavalcade of runs with a sacrifice fly, staking the Aggies to a 9-1 edge.
 
Ronnie Gideon sliced a ball through the heavy air and got it over the fence in leftfield for a solo home run, pushing the lead to 10-1.
 
The Wildcats added three runs in the top of the ninth with a wild pitch, sacrifice fly and a solo home run by Kyle Carroll.
 
Stephen Kolek worked the first 2.0 innings for the Aggies. He didn't allow a run, scattering two infield hits and one walk while striking out three. Mitchell Kilkenny (1-0) was credited with the win, retiring all six batters he faced in the third and fourth innings, including four strikeouts.
 
The Aggies used seven pitchers on the evening, scattering seven hits and two walks, while striking out 14.
 
Cole (1-4) was saddled with the loss, allowing seven runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out one in 5.0 innings.
 
Banks, Barash, Birk and Choruby led the hit parade for the Aggies with two apiece.
 
Beasley came off the bench to go 2-for-2 with one double, one run and one RBI. Russell Crippen was 2-for-4 with a double and one run.
 
Texas A&M returns to action Friday when they travel to Starkville for a three-game series against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs sit atop the SEC Western Division standings with an 8-4 league mark. The Aggies are just one game back at 7-5.
 
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
On the win…
"We were staying in the moment and making today the most important day of the year. We spend a lot of energy on the weekends in SEC play and we can't look ahead. Each pitcher we ran out there I think was fantastic. I was proud of the way we responded once Abilene Christian scored in the sixth. Their guy was settled in and we got to him."

On the offense…
"We have a lot of older guys in this lineup who have plenty of college at-bats under their belt. We don't need each individual to be hot to have success. When they have to go through that lineup four or five times, it's exhausting."