After taking two of three games from No. 12 Nebraska this weekend at Olsen Field, the No. 20 Texas A&M�baseball team will travel to San Antonio Tuesday to face off with the University of Texas-San Antonio in a non-conference matchup at Wolff Stadium beginning at 7 p.m.
Despite their 9-10 season record, the Roadrunners have won five of their last eight contests and will try to even the season series against the Aggies (19-5, 2-1 Big 12), who defeated UTSA 8-5 at Olsen Field March 4.
“I told the team that Tuesday was our next big challenge,” said A&M�Head Coach Mark�Johnson. “We have to see if we got our emotions so high this weekend that we won’t be able to be on an even field in those Tuesday ballgames and not drop (our level of play) much right after the beginning of the Big 12 games.”
The Aggies, who are on a streak of their own after claiming victories in nine of their last 10 games, used solid pitching from juniors Matt Farnum and Kyle Parcus, as well as a 4-for-4 day from junior transfer Justin Ruggiano to claim the third and deciding game in the Nebraska series.
Farnum, who started the game for the Aggies, improved his season record to 5-0 and Parcus closed out the last 2.2 innings to record his first save of the season. Farnum also pitched seven innings for the Aggies and claimed the win in the first game against UTSA this season.
“(A&M) did a good job of mixing it up on us at the plate,” said UTSA Head Coach Sherman Corbett. “(Farnum) did a great job of getting his breaking pitches over the plate (in the first matchup), and that kept us off-balance. He pitched a great ballgame.”
Now A&M�will look to junior right-hander Brian Finch to close out the season series against the Roadrunners.
Finch will try to change his luck against UTSA after being pounded for all five of its runs on four hits in the March 4 matchup when he relieved Farnum in the eighth inning.
He will bring a 2-1 record into the game with a 5.73 ERA in 22 innings of work and has recorded 15 strikeouts this season.
Finch’s last start was against Texas-Pan American March 9. He did not earn a decision after allowing four runs on six hits in four innings.
He will try to earn the win against a �Roadrunner team that is coming off a 13-2 loss on the road against the McNeese State�Cowboys. The win gave the Cowboys the 2-1 series win in the first conference matchup for both teams.
The Aggies hold the all-time lead in the series 11-4, but the Roadrunners hold a 3-1 advantage in games played in San Antonio.
The game will also hold some emotional ties for Corbett, who played for A&M�from 1982-1984, and UTSA Assistant Coach Jason Marshall, who was a four-year letterman for the Aggies.
“They are very special people to me,”�Johnson said. “They played for me and they are Aggies. I root for them in every game they play.�I just hope they don’t have a real good ballgame on Tuesday.”
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.