Credit to Ben Rikard | Assistant Director, Athletics Communications
HOUSTON – The No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies won their eighth game in a row on Tuesday night, taking down the Houston Cougars, 5-1, at Schroeder Park.
The Aggies (13-4) held the lead throughout after striking for a pair of runs in the third inning, but the night was not without its tense moments as the Cougars (5-11) stranded a dozen runners in the game.
Justin Lamkin got his second straight start and departed with the lead, but it was the bullpen tandem of Brad Rudis and Robert Hogan who combined for 4.0 scoreless innings of relief to get the Aggies to the ninth inning where Will Johnston set UH down in order.
The Aggies created some breathing room in the ninth with three runs in the top of the frame, highlighted by an inside-the-park home run by Hunter Haas. Austin Bost added an RBI triple in the inning to extend his hit streak to 10 games, scoring Jack Moss who was the lone Aggie with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 in the game.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will open up SEC play when it hosts No. 1 LSU for a three-game series beginning Friday night at Blue Bell Park. The game will be aired on the SEC Network and is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. first pitch.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Jack Moss – 2-for-4, 1 R
Hunter Haas – 1-for-4, Inside-The-Park Home Run
Austin Bost – 1-for-4, 3B, RBI
Brad Rudis – (W, 3-0) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Robert Hogan – 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
GAME SUMMARY
T3| A&M 2, HOU 0
After Houston starter Josh Ekness had retired the first six hitters he faced, he immediately ran into trouble after a leadoff walk to Jordan Thompson and a single by Jace LaViolette put runners on the corners with nobody out. The Aggies then got on the board first with an RBI grounder off the bat of Hank Bard and former Cougar Tab Tracy followed that up with a first-pitch, RBI single to center field to plate LaViolette.
B5| A&M 2, HOU 1
Lamkin worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, but the Cougars took just two hitters to get to him in the home half of the fifth. A leadoff double by Ian McCMillan quickly set the table for Brandon Uhse, who shot the second pitch he saw into center field to cut the Aggie lead in half. The Aggies then went to Rudis out of the bullpen and the righty quelled the fire with a pair of strikeouts and a key caught stealing from Hank Bard.
T9| A&M 5, HOU 1
The Aggies moved to the ninth in search of an insurance run and came away with three, starting in exciting fashion when Haas lined a shot to center field that made its way past a diving Malachi Lott all the way to the wall, allowing Haas to come all the way around for an inside-the-park home run that upped the lead to 3-1. Then, after a single by Moss, Bost extended his hit streak to 10 games in a row with a run-scoring triple off the center field wall, and one batter later, he came in to score on a sure single off the bat of Targac.