HUNTSVILLE -- If there was one thing Sam Houston State coach Mark Johnson was a little worried about against the team he coached for 21 years, it was getting embarrassed.

The Bearkats quelled that fear in the early going and again in the final inning, but they were unable to hold the Aggies down in between. Fifth-ranked A&M stroked a season-high 22 hits, four of which were homers, in a 13-9 victory Tuesday in front of a Sanders Stadium-record crowd of 1,821 fans, many of which were wearing maroon.

A&M, which leads the Big 12, improved to 41-8. Sam Houston State, which is second in the West Division of the Southland Conference, dropped to 30-20.

Tuesday's game was the first for Johnson against the team he coached to 876 victories.

"I didn't have a lot [of emotion]. I would be lying to you if I told you I did," said Johnson, who's in his second year at SHSU. "Certainly I care, and I didn't want to get embarrassed. There was some feeling there. I'm rooting for them. I root for Baylor and the Aggies. Those are my two teams."

Sam Houston made the sure the score was respectable with six two-out runs in the ninth off A&M closer Travis Starling, who has nine saves.

"Sam Houston State didn't quit. They have a very good offensive team and are hitting .340 for a reason," said A&M coach Rob Childress. "Travis Starling has been incredible all year long and if he was going to pick a night to be off, do it with a 10-run lead.

"I told him he'll be on the mound Friday in a one-run game. If he can do it 20 times out of 21, we'll take it."

A&M opens a key three-game Big 12 series against second-place Nebraska in Lincoln on Friday.

The Bearkats sent 11 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the ninth. Todd Sebek, who played for A&M in 2006, singled home the first run. Seth Mammock, one of two batters hit by a pitch in the inning, forced home the second run before Nick Zaleski had a two-run single and Heath Pugh a two-run double.

Childress left Starling in, and he got out of the jam on a ground out to shortstop Duran with runners on first and second.

"[Starling] wanted to finish what he started," Childress said. "I didn't want to overextend him from a pitch-count standpoint, but he wanted to finish the game, and he's got my respect enough to do that."

After spotting the Bearkats three runs, the Aggies tied the game in the fourth on a three-run homer by Luke Anders that reached the pine trees behind the right-field fence.

Anders' 13th long ball of the season, the most for A&M since Cory Patton hit 13 in 2003, drove in Dane Carter and Jose Duran. Carter doubled over the head of center fielder Keith Stein, who took one step in and then had to retreat. Duran then reached on an infield single.

The Aggies took the lead in the sixth off Brent Powers, the Bearkats fifth pitcher. Duran walked and Brown singled to right. Brian Ruggiano chopped one back to Brown, who threw to second for the double play. But Ruggiano just beat the throw to first to extend the inning for Brodie Green, who drove in Duran with a single through the middle.

In the seventh, the Aggies picked on SHSU's Friday night starter, Dallas Galiant, with four hits and a walk. Kyle Colligan singled, Stouffer walked and Carter followed with a shot to left-center for his eighth homer of the season.

Duran and Anders followed with singles before Galiant finally got an out. Duran was thrown out at home on a pickoff play, and the threat ended when Ruggiano popped out to first.

A&M appeared to put it out of reach in the eighth with five runs. Greene opened it with his third homer. Kevin Gonzalez singled and Colligan followed with a blast that landed in right field of the softball complex adjacent to Sanders Stadium.

Stouffer walked, Carter singled and Duran singled for the fourth run. Brown, one of five players with at least three hits, ended the merry-go-round with a single to left.

NOTES -- It was the second time this season the Aggies had four or more home runs. The other was in an 11-1 victory in the second game of the series with Baylor. ... ... As of Monday afternoon, over 5,000 advance tickets had been sold for each of the three weekend games at Nebraska, according to the Huskers' athletics department. "I'm looking forward to this weekend," said Childress, a former Huskers assistant. "It won't be about a family reunion this time, or a homecoming. It will be about two great teams going at it. It should be a tremendous series."

• Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.

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2 comment(s) found!

Posted by: Old Ag On: 5/7/2008

Comment Title: You're kidding, right?
Yeah, the Aggies aren't doing very well at all this year, are they? If only they wouldn't have parted ways with Coach Johnson, they'd probably have 40+ wins, be leading the Big XII, and be ranked in the top five in the nation. Oh wait....they ARE doing all those things.
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Posted by: On: 5/7/2008

Comment Title: Can't believe it
I still cannot believe that A&M got rid of Mark Johnson. I'm sure that SHSU loves the guy. The A&M AD is a dummy.
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