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Texas A&M's Brodie Green, walks off the field after striking out late in the game Sunday night at the super regionals in Houston. Rice won the game 6-5 to advance to the College World Series.

Owls sweep Aggies with 2-run homer

By: Travis Yoesting

Posted: 6/9/08

HOUSTON - After stamping the final out at first to end the seventh inning and complete a Hudini-like escape from a jam, Texas A&M reliever Travis Starling was excited and pumped up about the team's situation.

As fans got up for the seventh-inning stretch, it appeared the Aggies were on pace to force a game 3 and keep their season alive with their slim 5-4 lead.

A weak grounder to third and a hanging knuckle-curve later, the Texas A&M baseball team once again left Reckling Park with a season ending 2-0 sweep in the super regionals.

Rice catcher Adam Zornes hit a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw from Starling in the eighth to lead the Owls to a 6-5 win. Shortstop Rick Hague reached on an infield single to give Zornes the at bat with two outs.

"It was a tough, hard fought game," Texas A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said following the loss. "I'm not going to apologize for being one of the last 16 teams in the country playing."

Coming in with a 2-0 count and runners on first and second with no outs in the seventh, Starling first allowed a sacrifice bunt to Rice DH Jordan Dodson.

After an intentional walk to center fielder Jared Gayhart, Starling struck first baseman J.P. Padron out swinging.

Starling then got third baseman Diego Seastrunk to hit a ground ball to first base. Anders fielded the ball awkwardly but flipped the ball to Starling with perfect timing as he landed on first base, ahead of the runner.

"Coming in in a tough spot isn't anything they haven't asked me to do before," Starling said. "I was nervous a little bit, but I've been there before."

The escape appeared to give the Aggies momentum as the team bounded out of the dugout to congratulate Starling on his performance in the seventh, but the team did not yet start thinking about a Monday game.

"If you start thinking 'this is your night,' 'we're going to win from here on' or 'It's going to be easy the rest of the time,' you've already lost," Starling said. "If you don't keep focus, if you don't keep your edge, you've already lost."

The next inning, Zornes' home run gave the Owls the lead for good.

A&M got out to an early 2-0 lead in the third inning. Kevin Gonzalez hit a lead-off single off third baseman Diego Seastrunk's glove to get things started for the Aggies.

After Gonzalez advanced to second on a stolen base and to third on a wild pitch, Brodie Greene drew a walk. Colligan then smacked a double into left field to score Gonzalez. Two batters later, Greene came in on a fielder's choice to second base from Duran.

The Owls immediately struck back with two runs of their own in the fourth. With two runners on and one out, Hague pulled a double into the left field corner.

With the runners going on the 3-2 count, both came in to score and tie the game at two. One run was unearned as Diego Seastrunk reached on an error by first baseman Luke Anders.

Aggie starter Barret Loux cruised through the first few innings, including a five-pitch third. Despite the two runs in the fourth, he finished the day with two earned runs in six innings on six hits. He struck out one and walked one.