Rob Childress
Ryne Birk
Nick Banks
Texas A&M Baseball
Air Force Won: Texas A&M clinches series vs. Yale in front of Bush 41
GAME #11: Texas A&M 13, Yale 0
RECORDS: Texas A&M 10-1, Yale 0-2
WP: Brigham Hill (1-0)
LP: Scott Politz (0-1)
BOX SCORE
A&M (10-1) clinched its series against Yale (0-2) on Saturday with a 13-0 shutout victory, due in large part to a seven-run fifth inning. While winning a series is always a great memory, that won’t be what the 7,322 people in attendance remember from today’s game.
Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Olsen Field was none other than George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
Sorry, A&M’s tenth win, that takes precedence.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Nick Banks and the A&M offense racked up 18 hits on Saturday
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Ever since this series between Yale (where Bush played first base in his college days) and Texas A&M (where he has his presidential library) was scheduled, A&M head coach Rob Childress had been looking forward to it.
“This was one I had been looking forward to for a long time. To be able to celebrate this with the crowd we had today, and the weather we had today, was really something,” Childress said. “I know it was special to him, but it was special for the almost 8,000 people that were here today, too.
“I really wanted a picture of both teams together with President Bush and I’m sure that will be something every player will have on their wall.”
For Bush’s alma mater, that was the lone highlight of the day.
A&M on the other hand had plenty, starting with J.B. Moss’ first inning single.
After the single put him on base, Moss moved to second following a wild pitch. Then, he slid over to third after a sacrifice bunt from Nick Choruby. A&M scored the first of what would be many runs when Boomer White singled to right-center field, bringing Moss home for a 1-0 lead.
As potent as the Aggie offense turned out to be, the defense performed even better. Every time Yale presented a challenge, A&M stood tall.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Brigham Hill's relief effort in the fifth inning was praised following the game
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The first of those instances took place in the second inning.
After Alec Hoeschel drew a two out walk, the Aggies caught a break. Andrew Herrera smoked the first pitch he saw down the left field line and had it not hopped over the wall, Yale most certainly would have drawn even with A&M. Instead, the Aggies escaped the inning and the Bulldogs would never cross home plate.
They did however come close in the fifth when Tyler Ivey loaded the bases with one out. Following 4.1 innings, Ivey was pulled in favor of Brigham Hill.
Unfazed by the jam he found himself in, Hill forced a hard liner to left that found Moss’ glove, then followed it up with a full count strikeout and A&M found itself in the clear once again.
“Brigham Hill changed the complexion of the game by hanging a zero there,” Childress said of the clutch relief performance. “Had they gotten a big hit there, it might have been game on the rest of the day. I was really proud of him and of what we did offensively to put the game away.”
While the Aggies had scored another run in the fourth, making it 2-0, the fifth inning is when the A&M offense truly exploded. With three walks, five singles and a triple, A&M worked its way through the entire lineup and put seven runs on the board, bringing the score to 9-0.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
A&M's defense allowed just four hits on the way to a shutout victory
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Hunter Melton got the scoring started with an RBI single. With runners on second and third, Nick Banks contributed an RBI double when a hard shot up the middle found its way into centerfield. With the score now at 5-0, Ryne Birk hit his first of two triples on the day and scored two more Aggies.
The barrage finally came to an end when Nick Choruby’s two RBI single got through the left side. At the conclusion of the seventh inning, the Aggies found themselves ahead, 9-0.
A&M’s offense added runs in the each of the next three innings, bringing the final total to 13-0. For Birk, who’s day was highlighted by triples in the fifth and sixth innings, that showing by the Aggie bats was something he’d been expecting.
“That kind of inning (like the fifth) is the best,” he said. “We’ve got a pretty special offense and we know how good we are on that end. We’re finally getting to show that now.”
As great as they were, today wasn't about the 13 runs A&M scored or the zero they gave up.
Today was about one number: 41.
RECORDS: Texas A&M 10-1, Yale 0-2
WP: Brigham Hill (1-0)
LP: Scott Politz (0-1)
BOX SCORE
A&M (10-1) clinched its series against Yale (0-2) on Saturday with a 13-0 shutout victory, due in large part to a seven-run fifth inning. While winning a series is always a great memory, that won’t be what the 7,322 people in attendance remember from today’s game.
Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Olsen Field was none other than George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
Sorry, A&M’s tenth win, that takes precedence.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Nick Banks and the A&M offense racked up 18 hits on Saturday
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Nick Banks and the A\u0026M offense racked up 18 hits on Saturday","MediaItemID":67885}
“This was one I had been looking forward to for a long time. To be able to celebrate this with the crowd we had today, and the weather we had today, was really something,” Childress said. “I know it was special to him, but it was special for the almost 8,000 people that were here today, too.
“I really wanted a picture of both teams together with President Bush and I’m sure that will be something every player will have on their wall.”
For Bush’s alma mater, that was the lone highlight of the day.
A&M on the other hand had plenty, starting with J.B. Moss’ first inning single.
After the single put him on base, Moss moved to second following a wild pitch. Then, he slid over to third after a sacrifice bunt from Nick Choruby. A&M scored the first of what would be many runs when Boomer White singled to right-center field, bringing Moss home for a 1-0 lead.
As potent as the Aggie offense turned out to be, the defense performed even better. Every time Yale presented a challenge, A&M stood tall.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Brigham Hill's relief effort in the fifth inning was praised following the game
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Brigham Hill\u0027s relief effort in the fifth inning was praised following the game","MediaItemID":67859}
After Alec Hoeschel drew a two out walk, the Aggies caught a break. Andrew Herrera smoked the first pitch he saw down the left field line and had it not hopped over the wall, Yale most certainly would have drawn even with A&M. Instead, the Aggies escaped the inning and the Bulldogs would never cross home plate.
They did however come close in the fifth when Tyler Ivey loaded the bases with one out. Following 4.1 innings, Ivey was pulled in favor of Brigham Hill.
Unfazed by the jam he found himself in, Hill forced a hard liner to left that found Moss’ glove, then followed it up with a full count strikeout and A&M found itself in the clear once again.
“Brigham Hill changed the complexion of the game by hanging a zero there,” Childress said of the clutch relief performance. “Had they gotten a big hit there, it might have been game on the rest of the day. I was really proud of him and of what we did offensively to put the game away.”
While the Aggies had scored another run in the fourth, making it 2-0, the fifth inning is when the A&M offense truly exploded. With three walks, five singles and a triple, A&M worked its way through the entire lineup and put seven runs on the board, bringing the score to 9-0.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
A&M's defense allowed just four hits on the way to a shutout victory
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"A\u0026M\u0027s defense allowed just four hits on the way to a shutout victory","MediaItemID":67843}
The barrage finally came to an end when Nick Choruby’s two RBI single got through the left side. At the conclusion of the seventh inning, the Aggies found themselves ahead, 9-0.
A&M’s offense added runs in the each of the next three innings, bringing the final total to 13-0. For Birk, who’s day was highlighted by triples in the fifth and sixth innings, that showing by the Aggie bats was something he’d been expecting.
“That kind of inning (like the fifth) is the best,” he said. “We’ve got a pretty special offense and we know how good we are on that end. We’re finally getting to show that now.”
As great as they were, today wasn't about the 13 runs A&M scored or the zero they gave up.
Today was about one number: 41.
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