April 23rd, 2008
Aggies out-bat Bobcats, 14-11

STAFF REPORT

COLLEGE STATION – Texas State’s baseball team continued its hard hitting Tuesday night, but Texas A&M hit a bit harder.

The Aggies, ranked 18th by Baseball America, pounded out 20 hits against Texas State pitching in a 14-11 win. A&M improved to 34-7 with the win, while Texas State dropped to 23-15.

Down 14-4, Texas State rallied with seven runs in the eighth inning to come within 14-11. But the Aggies helped out with every kind of mistake, including a booted ground ball, a dropped fly ball, two wild pitches, a passed ball and a walk. With help like that, the Bobcats needed only three hits to score seven times.

However, the Aggies tightened up their game in the ninth inning and Texas State sent only three batters to the plate, finishing the loss.

A&M took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Bobcats pitcher Zack Boles when Blake Stouffer walked, followed by singles from Dane Carter, Jose Duran and Luke Anders. The Aggies added another four runs for a 6-0 lead in the second with Stouffer’s RBI single, a sacrifice fly by Carter and Duran’s two-run double.

Texas State turned on the power for four runs in the third inning, keyed by Elliott Babcock’s two-run double and Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run homer. The Bobcats went back onto the field in the bottom of the third down only 6-4 after their disastrous start.

But A&M put its foot down in its half of the third with six runs. Brodie Greene made the point early for A&M, hitting a two-run homer with no outs. Later in the inning, Anders and Darby Brown each hit two-run singles.

Boles took the entire beating for Texas State, falling to 1-4 while his ERA shot up to 9.78 after giving up 11 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Taylor Brundridge pitched the last 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits.

The loss ended a five-game winning streak for Texas State, which has scored 79 runs in its last eight games. Despite scoring 11 runs Tuesday, Texas State ended the night with only one multiple-hit performance as Laurn Randell went two-for-five.

The Bobcats will try another Big 12 opponent tonight, when Baylor visits San Marcos for a 6 p.m. start. After losing, 8-2, in a non-conference meeting with Texas Tuesday, Baylor (23-18) has lost five straight for the first time since May 2006.