Eagle Staff Report
Texas A&M scored five runs on three hits in the first inning and did little wrong afterward on the way to 12-4 victory over the Winthrop Eagles on Saturday at Olsen Field.
A&M (8-2) totaled 15 hits and stole eight bases Saturday in reaching double digits in runs for the third time this season. It was the Aggies' fifth win in a row.
"It was a great day offensively for us," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "We got off to a great start in the first, built on that lead and had an answer for everything they did."
The Aggies got all the runs they needed in the first.
Andrew Collazo drew a leadoff walk from pitcher Robert Lake and Scott Arthur reached on an error. Brodie Greene's sacrifice fly to right scored Collazo, and Joe Patterson and Joaquin Hinojosa each had RBI singles.
Gregg Alcazar, getting his second start at catcher, doubled home Patterson and Hinojosa.
A&M's Ross Stripling (3-0) had his third quality start in as many outings, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up six hits and four runs (one earned) while striking out a career-high nine.
"I've been very proud of him every time," Childress said. "Our team knows he's going to keep us in the game, get us off to a good start and make the other team earn everything they get. I couldn't ask for more than what he's given us the last three weeks."
Alcazar's two-out single in the third plated Kenny Jackson, who had singled. The Aggies scored two more in the fourth when Greene tripled home Collazo and then scored on a balk.
Two A&M errors leading to three Winthrop runs in the fourth kept the game close for a while. Matt Peirpont had an RBI double in the inning.
In the sixth, Patterson singled up the middle to score Arthur, who had doubled down the left-field line.
Arthur's RBI double and Caleb Shofner's two-run double in the seventh finished the scoring.
Six Aggies had multiple hits, while Greene, Shofner and Patterson each had two RBIs. Alcazar and Arthur, batting in the top two spots in the lineup, combined to steal five bases and score six runs.
Lake (2-1) allowed seven hits and seven runs (three earned) over three-plus innings. He walked two and fanned a pair.
Michael Wacha, Dylan Mendoza and Denny Clement allowed just one hit and struck out three in 2 1/3 innings of relief for the Eagles (7-2).
A&M junior Nick Fleece (1-0, 2.70 ERA) will take the mound against Winthrop junior Wade Newman (2-0, 3.86) in the series finale Sunday as the Aggies go for a three-game sweep. Game time is 1:05 p.m.
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NOTES -- Patterson extended his career-long hit streak to 15 games with a first-inning single. ... Texas A&M's eight stolen bases were the most by an Aggie team since June 1, 2007, when they swiped eight against Le Moyne in the first game of NCAA Regional play. ... A&M's 15 hits were a season high. The previous best was 14, recorded Feb. 20 against Seton Hall. ... The day wasn't a total loss for Winthrop. The school's men's basketball team earned an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big South Tournament title game against Coastal Carolina.
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