AUSTIN – Texas A&M dominated on the mound and delivered at the plate in its 10-3 victory over Indiana on a blazing Friday afternoon at Texas’ Disch-Falk Field.
Starting pitcher John Doxakis dealt a dandy, going 6.0 innings and struck out a career-high 12 batters, including seven of the first eight Hoosiers he faced.
“It all started with John because he was outstanding,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “John even in the heat, just paddled his tail off and got us through six He did a wonderful job.”
Doxakis mixed pitches well, painting the corners with his slider while beating batters with his fastball.
“Usually fastball command isn’t my best thing, but once I established that it was easier to throw the slider and keep it on the same plain as the fastball,” Doxakis said.
The Aggies took command of the game in the fourth, scoring seven runs all with two outs after sending 11 batters to the plate.
“We were trying to do too much the first time through the lineup,” left fielder Logan Foster said. “We knew all we needed was that first hit and then we were going to be rolling. Having guys just get the singles or base hits, it really opens up the eyes for the other guys to get the job done.
“Coach always talks about us being a two-out nightmare.”
Indiana ace Jonathan Stiever was chased after just 3.2 innings of work. The Big Ten’s strikeout leader had a season-low one K, catching Chris Andritsos looking for his final retired batter.
“It was mostly on myself, not being able to get ahead in the count and I when was able to make quality pitches they were able to take advantage in those scenarios,” Stiever said.
In the fifth, A&M added another run as Logan Foster ripped an RBI triple deep into centerfield, scoring Braden Shewmake all the way from first. It was the second ball that sailed over the head of Indiana’s Logan Kaletha, who was playing abnormally shallow.
The Aggies tacked on runs in the seventh and eighth innings, building as large as an eight-run lead.
Right-handed pitcher Stephen Kolek made his first appearance in five games, relieving Doxakis in the seventh. After giving up a home run on the first batter he faced, Kolek settled in tossing 2.0 innings and striking out four. Freshman Christian Roa closed the game in the ninth.
“It was important to get him out there in live competition,” Childress said of Kolek. “His stuff was really, really good. His second inning he was low to mid 90s and we only threw him 30 pitches, so we’ll get him back again Sunday.”
With a win on the first day, A&M advances into the winner’s bracket and will play Saturday at 6 p.m. The chances of an Aggies-Horns meeting are increasing, but Childress did not name a starter for tomorrow. If A&M plays Texas though, the Aggies are likely to start Mitchell Kilkenny.
“We’ll watch tonight’s game and do whatever’s best for our team to give our team the best chance to win tomorrow night,” Childress said.