The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas A&M
Wood hurls complete game in Baseball's 5-2 victory over Texas A&M
05.17.2008 | Baseball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Junior left-hander Austin Wood pitched his first career complete game and junior outfielder Kyle Russell blasted a game-breaking two-run home run to lead the Texas Longhorns to a 5-2 triumph over the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies in Big 12 Conference baseball action Saturday evening at Olsen Field in College Station, Texas.
The win gave Texas the baseball point in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown, tying the Texas-Texas A&M all-sports rivalry at 8.5-8.5 with just men's and women's track and field remaining on the slate.
Wood (4-3) gave up a pair of runs in the first inning on a two walks and a triple, but cruised through the rest of the game with eight shutout innings. He finished the contest allowing two runs on four hits, three walks and two hit batters while striking out three over nine innings.
Barret Loux (4-2) was saddled with the loss for the Aggies. He yielded five runs, four earned on eight hits and one walk while striking out five over 6.2 innings.
Russell hit his 14th home run of the season and the 52nd of his career on a 0-2 offering with one out in the top of the sixth inning. With the score knotted at 2-2, Travis Tucker drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Danks. Russell swung and missed at a pair of pitches before blasting his home run over the leftfield fence, staking the Horns to a 4-2 lead.
Preston Clark inflated the cushion to 5-2 with a lead-off home run in the visitor half of the seventh, depositing a 1-1 pitch over the leftfield fence.
Texas drew first blood in the top of the first. Michael Torres hit a leadoff single and moved to second when third baseman Dane Carter's ill-advised throw sailed over the Aggies' first baseman. Tucker sacrificed Torres to third and Danks drove him home with a groundout to second base.
The Aggies claimed the lead in the home half of the first. With two outs, Wood issued walks to Carter and Jose Duran and Luke Anders made him pay for the free passes with a two-run triple down the rightfield line, giving A&M a 2-1 advantage
The Longhorns scored an equalizer in the third inning. With one out, Torres doubled off the wall in centerfield and scored on a single up the middle by Tucker.
Torres paced Longhorns hitters going 3-for-4 with two runs. Russell went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI and Clark went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Anders led the Aggies' attack going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
The Longhorns look for a three-game sweep in the series finale Sunday afternoon with a 1:05 first pitch at Olsen Field.
