Sophomore outfielder Brandon Wood’s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the No. 9 Texas A&M baseball team to a 4-1 victory over Texas-Pan American Tuesday night at Olsen Field.
The win improved the Aggies’ overall record this season to 7-1 while handing the Broncs (5-1) the first blemish on their 2011 ledger.
Junior lefty Estevan Uriegas took the ball in his first career start for the Aggies and performed well, giving A&M five solid innings of work and only surrounding one run on three hits while racking up six strikeouts.
The only stain on Uriegas’ final line was a solo home run off the bat of UTPA third baseman Vincent Mejia leading off the second inning.
Freshman Krey Bratsen got the Aggies on the scoreboard and tied the game at 1-1 in the home half of the third when he collected his first career RBI with a single through the left side.
The Aggies were able to break the stalemate during the sixth inning with a two-out rally, which began when junior first baseman Jacob House singled to extend his season-opening hitting streak to eight games. Senior catcher Kevin Gonzalez followed with his team-leading third double of the year to set the table for Wood, who singled sharply to center to plate both runners. For Wood, the base knock was his second game-winning hit of the year as he also produced a walk-off RBI single during the 11th inning of the Aggies’ 1-0 victory over Gonzaga last Friday.
Junior right fielder Tyler Naquin singled home a run during the bottom of the seventh to plate an insurance tally and extend his career-best hitting streak to eight games. Naquin joined House to stand as the only Aggies to have hit safely in each game this season.
Closer Ross Stripling shut the door in the ninth for his third save of the year, tossing a perfect frame with a pair of punch outs.
Senior Nick Fleece (1-0), who took over for Uriegas in the sixth inning, picked up the win in relief, while sophomore Kyle Martin helped to bridge the gap to Stripling by racking up three strikeouts in two perfect innings out of the A&M bullpen.
The series continues Wednesday with a matinee affair at Olsen Field. First pitch is slated for 3:05 p.m. with sophomore lefty Dylan Mendoza (1-0, 1.29 ERA) toeing the rubber for the Aggies against UTPA’s Cody Plunk (1-0, 2.25 ERA).