Wire Report
NORMAN, Okla. -- The Texas A&M baseball team had a chance to rebound from losing a series to Texas and claim second place in the Big 12 against Oklahoma. But instead of closing the regular season on the upswing, the reeling Aggies were knocked down again.
The 13th-ranked Sooners took advantage of four errors by the 16th-ranked Aggies for four unearned runs in a 6-5 victory Sunday before 1,385 fans at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
Oklahoma (40-16, 17-10 Big 12) claimed second place behind league-champ Texas (38-12-1, 17-9-1), while the Aggies (34-21, 14-13) ended Big 12 play by losing five of their last six -- three of them by one run and another by two runs -- and finished sixth in the conference standings.
"It was a disappointing weekend to say the least," A&M head coach Rob Childress said. "We had an opportunity to win this series without question, looking at Friday [a 6-5 loss] and today, we just didn't get a hit with runners in scoring position. And today, when you strike out 17 times and make four errors, do you really deserve to win? We didn't deserve to win."
Errors by first baseman Luke Anders, third baseman Caleb Shofner and center fielder Kyle Colligan helped OU to a 5-2 lead through six innings.
The Aggies scored a run in the eighth, but could have had more. Joe Patterson and Shofner each singled and David Alleman was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Kevin Gonzalez had a sacrifice fly, but Adam Smith struck out.
Oklahoma promptly got the run back in the bottom of the eighth despite getting only one hit. A double, hit batsman and walk loaded the bases. A&M reliever Nick Fleece then uncorked a two-out wild pitch to make it 6-3.
Oklahoma reliever Ryan Duke earned his league-leading 14th save, but not before working an eventful ninth. Brooks Raley walked with one out on a full-count pitch and Anders homered. Colligan reached on an infield hit.
Oklahoma center fielder Jamie Johnson then saved the game by making a leaping catch up against the fence of a drive by Patterson. With two outs Colligan stole second, but Shofner struck out.
Oklahoma got rolling with three in the third, the third straight game the Aggies fell behind.
"I think it helps our pitchers an awful lot," OU head coach Sunny Golloway said. "I think Garrett Richards was a guy that got to feed off having an early lead and not worry so much about making the perfect pitch."
The Sooners got three straight one-out singles for a run, chasing A&M starter Barret Loux (3-3). A steal of second base paid off when Shofner's throw home on Matt Harughty's slow grounder was high, scoring two.
Oklahoma made it 4-0 in the fourth. Harughty's groundout scored Ross Hubbard, who had doubled and moved to third on a passed ball.
Colligan hit his team-leading 14th homer in the sixth off Richards (8-3). It was A&M's first run since the eighth inning Friday night. The Aggies added another run in the inning on Patterson's single, a groundout and two wild pitches.
Oklahoma answered in the sixth with another unearned run. Chris Ellison singled with two outs. Johnson followed with a single to center field. Ellison, who was running on the 0-2 pitch, scored when the ball glanced off Colligan's glove.
Richards, a junior right-hander, struck out a career-high 11 in six innings. Michael Rocha, a sophomore right-hander, threw six scoreless innings in Saturday's 9-0 victory.
"I thought the guys really played well this weekend," Golloway said. "I think the way Garrett Richards threw today in Game 3, and Michael Rocha in Game 2, is a huge shot in the arm."
The sweep also should help OU's chances to host an NCAA regional.
"That is out of our hands," Golloway said. "What we control is playing well in the Big 12 [tournament] on Wednesday."
That's all the Aggies can do as well
A&M will play third-place finisher Missouri (32-23, 16-11) at 4 p.m.Wednesday in the Big 12 tourney at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma and seventh-place Texas Tech (24-30, 12-15) are also in A&M's pool.
Texas, fourth-place Kansas State (39-15-1, 14-11-1), fifth-place Kansas (37-19, 15-12) and eighth-place Baylor (27-3, 10-16) are in the other pool.
A&M, which won the Big 12 regular in 2008 title, took a six-game losing streak into the league tournament last year and lost to Oklahoma and Texas before beating Missouri.
"This team is ready to move on into a new season," Childress said. "The regular season is done and over with, and we are where we are. But believe me, we're going to Bricktown to win a championship and move on next week into the postseason. That's what this team has been waiting on since last June. Now that we're in the postseason, it's time for us to put our money where our mouth is."
A&M BASEBALL
Sunday: Oklahoma 6, A&M 5
Records: No. 13 OU (40-16, 17-10 in Big 12); No. 16 A&M (34-21, 14-13).
Next: A&M vs. Missouri (32-23, 16-11), 4 p.m. Wednesday at Big 12 tournament, Oklahoma City
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