No. 15 Texas A&M struggled to score runs against Dallas Baptist Thursday at Olsen Field, but the Aggies rallied in the final three innings to win 4-3.
In the ninth inning, junior second baseman Brodie Greene hit a bases-loaded single to give A&M its second consecutive walk-off win.
“I don’t know if we would have done that the first part of the season,” A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said. “Obviously the last three weeks we are playing with a lot more confidence and playing with a smile on our face. Our pitching is giving us a chance to always feel like we are in the game and when you do that, you always are in the game.”
In the second at bat of the first inning, senior starting pitcher Brooks Raley hit a triple to right center field. Senior first baseman Luke Anders scored Raley with a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
The Patriots answered in the second inning with a run and added two more in the fourth inning when junior second baseman Austin Knight hit a two-RBI double. After giving up the triple in the first inning, DBU junior starting pitcher Victor Black did not allow a hit until the seventh inning when A&M sophomore catcher Kevin Gonzalez hit an RBI single to bring the Aggies within one run after senior center fielder Kyle Colligan and freshman left fielder David Alleman both singled.
“I can’t give Victor Black enough credit,” Childress said. “That guy pitched his heart out. He made several of our hitters not look good. We did a great job of just putting the ball in play against him but for Raley to keep it close was they key, giving us the shot late.”
In the eighth inning, the Aggies got back in the game starting with a single by pinch-hitting junior Dylan Petrich. Black walked Raley and Anders and then was pulled from the game.
With the bases loaded, sophomore Patriot closer Chris Haney hit Colligan in the head to score the tying run, but then responded by striking out sophomore third baseman Caleb Shofner and Alleman to end
the inning.
“[Black] gave us fits for a seven innings there and we got three two-out hits and that was huge for us to get that run going and give us an opportunity to win it,” Raley said.
In the ninth inning, after Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, Haney errored on a throw to first base after freshman shortstop Adam Smith laid down a sacrifice bunt. Petrich was intentionally walked to load the bases then Greene hit the walk-off, game-winning single after going hitless in his first three at-bats.
“I didn’t look too good my first couple of bats and I was kind of down but getting that big hit really sets the tone for the rest of the weekend to hopefully bounce back and have a good day tomorrow,” Greene said.
Greene was ambushed by his teammates at second base after the hit, capping the 4-3 win.
“I knew they were coming,” Green said. “I kept my helmet on. I didn’t want to get busted in the mouth but it was a good win.”
The game was the fourth walk-off win of the A&M season and was two days after the Aggies took an extra innings walk-off win from Texas Christian.
“It’s not how you start, its how you finish,” Childress said. “We’ve said that about our season and
tonight’s game was typical of that.”