The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas A&M
No. 7 Baseball notches 6-1 win over Texas A&M to sweep series
05.01.2006 | Baseball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Freshman Riley Boening allowed only one run over a career-best six innings and the UT offense scored six unanswered runs during its final four at bats as No. 7 Texas earned a 6-1 victory over Texas A&M in front of 6,176 fans at Disch-Falk Field during the final game of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown on Monday, May 1.
The Longhorns' (32-15, 16-4 Big 12) win over the Aggies (21-26, 4-17 Big 12) not only upped the team's current win streak to four games, but also marked Texas' first regular-season series sweep of A&M since 2002.
Although the Longhorns put two runners on with one out during each of the first two innings, A&M starter Matt Ueckert worked out of both jams courtesy of two fine defensive plays by his middle infielders. While shortstop Jose Salazar started an inning-ending double play from the hole between short and third in the first, second baseman Parker Dalton robbed Brett Lewis (Rockwall, Texas) of a single with a back-handed stop up the middle in the second. The Aggies then put a pair of runners on in the third via a single and a walk before Salazar came up with a two-out single through the right side to stake A&M to a 1-0 lead. One inning later, Texas A&M received a leadoff triple off the bat of Adam Hale, but Boening (Yoakum, Texas) got a come-backer followed by a groundout and a strikeout to end the frame unscathed.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hunter Harris (Tulsa, Okla.) was hit with a pitch with one out before moving to second on a balk, advancing to third on a single from Lewis and scoring on a base hit off the bat of Nick Peoples (Round Rock, Texas) to tie the game at 1-1. After a scoreless top of the sixth, the Horns managed to load the bases with one out via two walks and a hit batter in the bottom of the frame. Harris was then hit by a pitch for the second time in as many plate appearances to drive in one run before Lewis reached on an error to plate another score and give Texas a 3-1 lead. While the Aggies worked out of further trouble in the sixth courtesy of a double play, UT again loaded the bases in the seventh on three straight base hits to begin the inning. A Preston Clark (Rockwall, Texas) sacrifice fly then made it a 4-1 game before Drew Stubbs (Atlanta, Texas) stole third and scored on a safety squeeze bunt from Chais Fuller (Fairfield, Calif.) to push Texas on top by a score of 5-1. After UT tacked on another run in the eighth with the combination of a Harris double and a Peoples' sac fly, Texas A&M attempted to rally in their final at bat by having its first two batters reach on singles. Despite the threat, Austin Wood (Kingwood, Texas), who entered the game to start the inning in relief of Randy Boone (Yoakum, Texas), registered a strikeout and induced a double-play grounder to close out the victory. Earning the win was Boening, who matched a career-best with a six-inning effort during which he struck out five and allowed only one run on three hits, while Aggies reliever Jordan Chambless (1-5) incurred the loss.
Leading the way for the Texas offense, which posted 10 hits on the afternoon, was Peoples, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Harris, who scored twice and drove in one run while also doubling, and Fuller, who went 1-for-2 with one run scored and one RBI. Texas A&M, meanwhile, had its attack led by Salazar, who went 1-for-3 with a RBI, and Blake Stouffer, who scored during a 1-for-2 outing. Of additional note for UT, Stubbs and Clark also extended their current hit streaks to 13 and six games, respectively, and Boone worked two shutout innings in relief between Boening and Wood.
Up next, the Longhorns host the Texas State Bobcats in a 6:15 p.m. Central tilt at Disch-Falk Field on Tuesday, May 2.
