Senior third baseman Matt Juengel broke a 13th inning tie with a three-run home run to lift the sixth-ranked Texas A&M baseball team to a 5-2 win over No. 22 Oklahoma State on Thursday night at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
The victory extended the Aggies’ winning streak to five games and left them in sole possession of second place in the Big 12 standings, a game up on both Oklahoma State and Texas.
“We were very fortunate to come out of here with a win,” Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “Heaney is as good of a pitcher as we’ve seen all year long.”
The game was touted as a match-up of potential first round draft picks on the pitching mound as Oklahoma State lefty Andrew Heaney and Aggie right-hander Michael Wacha locked horns.
The Cowboys (32-21, 13-9 Big 12) broke the ice on the scoreboard during the bottom of the third inning as left fielder Gage Green connected on his first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field that put OSU in front 1-0.
The home run proved to be the lone earned run charged to Wacha, who allowed just six hits during his 6.2 innings of work.
A pair Aggie errors during the bottom of the seventh paved the way for OSU to extend its lead to 2-0, which seemed more than enough support for Heaney, who came to the mound in the ninth going for his league-leading fourth shutout of the season.
Texas A&M (39-14, 14-8 Big 12) had other ideas as Juengel led off the top of the ninth with a single to center before being forced out on a fielder’s choice in the next at bat, leaving the Aggies with a runner on first and one out in the frame.
Sophomore catcher Troy Stein finally put A&M in the run column with an RBI double before being lifted for pinch runner Mikey Reynolds, who tied the game in the next at bat by coming home on run-scoring double off the bat of freshman Mitchell Nau.
Both runs were charged to Heaney, who got a no-decision after recording 12 strike outs in 8.1 innings of work.
The late innings held tense moments for the Aggie faithful as Texas A&M reliever Kyle Martin (6-5) was able to wiggle out of bases-loaded jams in both the ninth and 11th innings to set the scene for Juengel’s heroics in the 13th.
Senior Scott Arthur led the frame off with a bunt single before junior outfielder Tyler Naquin gave the Aggies runners on the corners with a single to center.
Juengel provided the game with its final score by connecting on a 0-1 pitch from OSU reliever Blake Barnes (5-4) and depositing the offering high over the left field wall.
The series resumes on Saturday as the Aggies and Cowboys square off at 6:30 p.m. Texas A&M will send RHP Ross Stripling to the mound for his first appearance after throwing the 11th no-hitter in Aggie baseball history during a 1-0 win over San Diego State last weekend.