April 21, 2006
Box Score
Kyle Colligan's eighth-inning, two-out RBI double coupled with Baylor's second outfield error of the inning broke a 2-2 tie and gave Texas A&M a 4-2 victory in Friday's series opener at Cole Field. The loss is the fourth straight in Big 12 play for the Bears (23-16, 7-9), while the Aggies (20-21, 4-12) snapped a six-game skid in conference action.
Jose Salazar led off the eighth with a single to right and advanced to second when Kevin Sevigny misplayed the ball. After a pop up and a strikeout, Baylor starter then intentionally walked left-handed hitting Adam Hale to face the right-handed Colligan, who slapped a 1-0 offering into right-center to score Salazar from second. Baylor center fielder Chase Gerdes misplayed the ball, allowing Hale to score.
"The decision was theirs," Baylor head coach Steve Smith said of the decision by LaMotta and catcher Zach Dillon to intentionally walk Hale. "Ryan felt better against the right-hander, and he already had walked Hale a couple times. In hindsight maybe I should have brought in a right-hander from the bullpen after the walk, but it's hard to take Ryan out of that game when he was pitching so effectively."
LaMotta (5-3) allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits and four walks with one strikeout in an 8.0-inning complete-game effort.
Texas A&M starter Jason Meyer (2-1) earned the victory, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts in 8.0 innings. Matt Ueckert recorded his first save of the season, pitching a perfect ninth.
Baylor took the game's first lead on a bizarre play in the top of the second. With runners on the corners and one out, Kevin Russo bunted directly in front of home plate. Texas A&M catcher Josh Stinson pounced on the ball and threw to second, starting an apparent double play. However, Baylor base runner Tim Jackson was called safe at second when Salazar, the Aggie shortstop, was deemed to have missed second base on the turn.
That lead was short-lived, though, as Spencer Jackson followed a Stinson two-out single with a home run to right.
The Bears tied the game in the top of the eighth on a pair of extra-base hits. Sevigny led off with a triple to left-center. Two batters later, Beamer Weems doubled over the head of left fielder Adam Hale to plate Sevigny.
Baylor and Texas A&M return to action Saturday as the series shifts to Waco's Baylor Ballpark for a 6 p.m. CDT start. The Bears send southpaw Cory VanAllen (4-4, 4.82) to the mound, opposite Aggie right-hander Austin Creps (3-3, 1.83).
NOTES: Texas A&M leads the all-time series 139-110-1, including a 69-34-1 advantage in games played at College Station. The Bears are 18-12 against the Aggies as Big 12 foes, 17-11 in regular-season meetings during that time. Baylor is 21-15 against Texas A&M under head coach Steve Smith.... Dillon has reached safely in 23 consecutive games and in 27 straight Big 12 contests.
