Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas A&M
Eighth-Inning Home Runs Doom Cowboys
April 26, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M scored five runs in the eighth inning to lift the 16th-ranked Aggies to a 7-4 win over Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon at Olsen Field
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the 25th-ranked Cowboys and evened the series at a game apiece. OSU is now 28-16 overall and 6-10 in Big 12 Conference play.
The Cowboys led 4-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but Texas A&M rallied for five runs on six hits in the pivotal inning.
Kevin Gonzalez opened the frame with a single off OSU reliever Jeff Breedlove, and Joe Patterson followed with a two-run, opposite-field home run to left-centerfield to tie the score at 4-4.
After another single and a sacrifice bunt, Adam Smith stepped to the plate and provided the go-ahead runs with another two-run homer, this one also carrying over the wall in left-center field. TAMU (27-15, 12-8) tacked on an insurance run on an RBI single by Kyle Colligan to make the score 7-4.
OSU brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth after a walk and a hit-by-pitch, but Neil Medchill flied out to right field with Cowboys on first and second base to end the game.
Breedlove suffered the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season as the senior right hander allowed four runs on four hits in only 2/3 of an inning.
OSU's offense struck first in the contest as Tom Belza led off the third inning with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. After Micheal Dabbs struck out, Kevin David stepped to the plate and delivered a two-out, two-run home run off the scoreboard in left-center field to give the Cowboys a 2-0 lead. The blast was David's fourth round tripper of the season.
The Aggies answered in the bottom of the third. Back-to-back singles by Adam Smith and Brodie Greene and a sacrifice bunt put TAMU runners on second and third with one out. Luke Anders then plated A&M's first run with a sacrifice fly to center field to cut OSU's lead to 2-1.
OSU clung to its one-run lead until the sixth. Consecutive singles by Colligan and Gonzalez put runners on the corners with one out for Patterson, who sent a grounder to Cowboy second baseman Davis Duren.
The Cowboys answered immediately, however. In the top of the seventh, a one-out triple by Belza led to a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dabbs to put OSU back on top.
OSU added another run in the eighth. With two outs and Medchill on second, pinch hitter Jared Womack sent a ground ball through the left side for an RBI single to put the Cowboys up by a 4-2 count.
Belza led the Cowboys' offense with a 3-for-3 day, coming up just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, and also scored twice.
OSU starter Tyler Lyons worked 6.2 innings and allowed just two runs on eight hits while striking out four.
Estevan Uriegas picked up his first win of the season for the Aggies as he retired the only batter he faced in the eighth, and Nick Fleece kept OSU off the scoreboard in the ninth for his fourth save.
Sunday's decisive series finale is scheduled for a 1:05 p.m. start.
