HUNTSVILLE ? Luke Anders, Dane Carter, Brodie Greene, and Kyle Colligan each hit home runs to power No. 5 Texas A&M to a 13-9 non-conference victory over Sam Houston State Tuesday night.
A Sam Houston baseball record home crowd of 1,821 watched the game at sold out Don Sanders Stadium. The Aggies totaled 22 hits off nine Bearkat pitchers as they upped their season record to 41-8. SHSU, who now stands 30-20 for the year, totaled 14 hits.
“They have a good ballclub and that's the bottom line,” SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said about the Aggies, who he coached from 1986 to 2005 and guided to five conference championships and two College World Series appearances. “I was pleased that we didn't back off of them. We obviously didn't have a pitcher to throw nine innings at them, so we tried to mix it up and got some guys some work.”
Down 13-3 heading into the final inning, the Bearkats finally strung something together after taking a three-run lead as Sam Houston scored six runs in the ninth.
“It's kind of like last year, we just keep battling,” Keith Stein said about the late rally. “It's not over until the fat lady sings, so we are going to give it our all until somebody gets us out.”
The Bearkats trotted nine different pitchers to the mound Tuesday night. Freshman Matt Shelton got the start and held the Aggies scoreless in two innings of work.
Shelton benefited from a solid 6-4-3 double play to help get out of a jam in the first when shortstop Ryan Weber made a diving grab on a grounder up the middle, flipped it to second with his glove and Rohlmeier fired to first with two runners on base and no outs.
Then in the second, Shelton struck out three of the four batters he faced and left the game with a 1-0 lead after Zaleski scored on a fielder's choice to short by Trevino in the bottom of the inning.
Freshman Zach Neal shut out Texas A&M in the third, but Anders tied it with a three-run homer (his 13th of the season) over the right-field wall off freshman Justin Jackson in the fourth.
SHSU freshman Brent Powers (2-3) gave up a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Jose Duran to pick up the loss. Dallas Gallant, Casey Springer, Zac Baker and Will Skelton combined to pitch the final four innings for the Kats and gave up nine runs between them.
“Matt Shelton got us off to a good start and we got an outstanding double play to back him up in the first inning,” Johnson said. “I threw two freshman out there (Jackson and Neal), who hadn't pitched in five weeks. I was glad to see them out there again.”
It was a bitter-sweet game for Stein. The former Aggie went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, reached on an error and made a highlight-reel diving catch on a sharply hit line drive to left-center field that robbed A&M catcher Brian Ruggiano of extra bases in the fourth.
But his new squad couldn't find a way to pull it out against his former team, who he never thought he would face.
“It was different,” the senior said. “Even when I would be playing video games and was facing the Aggies, I would just skip it. It was different, but it wasn't too bad. It was just weird seeing A&M on the uniforms in the other dugout.
“I was happy with the way I played, but I would have traded it for a ?w.' But if we are going to lose, at least we did it respectable by fighting to the end
Back-to-back singles by Nick Zaleski and Heath Pugh set up the Bearkats' first run in the bottom of the second inning. Zaleski advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a ground out by Jaime Rohlmeier.
Sam Houston upped its lead to 3-0 with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third. Keith Stein reached first on an error, then scored on a double down the left field line by Seth Hammock. Zaleski singled to score Hammock.
Luke Anders tied the game 3-3 with a home run to right field in the top of the fourth. Anders' 13th home run of the season scored Dane Carter who doubled to lead off the inning and Jose Duran who singled.
Brodie Greene put Texas A&M up 4-3 with an RBI single to score Jose Duran who walked to start the sixth inning.
Dane Carter's three-run homer to left field in the top of the seventh put the Aggies up 7-3. Kyle Colligan, who singled, and Blake Stouffer, who walked, scored on the home run.
Brodie Greene hit a solo home run and Kyle Colligan hit a two-run homer to put Texas A&M up 10-3.
Sam Houston scored six runs on six hits in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Matt Shelton pitched the first two innings for the Bearkats, giving up one hit and striking out three batters. Zac Neal, seeing his first action since April 6, and Justin Jackson, in his first game since April 2, threw the next two innings. Adam Albright, Brent Powers, Dallas Gallant, Casey Springer, Zac Baker, and Will Skelton all worked in relief.
Sam Houston State returns to Southland Conference action Friday as the Bearkats begin a three-game series in Hammond, LA, against Southeastern Louisiana.
Line Score
Texas A&M 13, Sam Houston St 9 (May 06, 2008 at Huntsville, TX)
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Texas A&M........... 000 301 351 - 13 22 2 (41-8)
Sam Houston St...... 012 000 006 - 9 14 1 (30-20)
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Pitchers: Texas A&M - Migl, Scott; Robertson, Hank(6); Thebeau, Kyle(7); Heard, Michael(8);
Starling, Travis(9). Sam Houston St - Shelton, Matt; Neal, Zach(3); Jackson, Justin(4);
Albright, Adam(5); Powers, Brent(6); Gallant, Dallas(7); Springer, Casey(7); Baker, Zac(8);
Skelton, Will(9).
Win-Migl, Scott(3-2) Loss-Powers, Brent(2-3) T-3:16 A-1821
HR TAMU - Colligan, Kyle; Carter, Dane; Anders, Luke; Greene, Brodie.
Weather: Overcast
