Basketball on grass.
Photo by Brian Okosun
Texas A&M Baseball
The Falcons sent three different pitchers to the mound in the fifth, including freshman Chandler Stillings, who did not retire a single batter.
Marc Flores, TexAgs
The Aggie bats pounded the Bowling Green pitching staff all weekend, producing a total of 50 runs in three games.
Jorge Gutierrez continued his hot start to the season with a screaming triple to the left-center gap in the fourth. He later scored on an Austin Homan single. The Aggies would add 3 more runs in the inning.
Aggies take double-header from Bowling Green, complete sweep
GAME #2: Texas A&M 19, Bowling Green 2
RECORDS: Texas A&M 2-0, Bowling Green 0-2
WP: Stephen Kolek (1-0)
LP: Brad Croy (0-1)
SAVE: None
GAME #3: Texas A&M 16 , Bowling Green 5
RECORDS: Texas A&M 3-0, Bowling Green 0-3
WP: Mitchell Kilkenny (1-0)
LP: Zac Carey (0-1)
SAVE: None
There are few better ways to spend an early spring Saturday afternoon than at Olsen Field. The Aggies liked the idea so much they decided to take a hint from Ernie Banks and play two. They like those days are even more when they go 2-0 and finish off a sweep on opening weekend.
In game one on Saturday, the Aggies asserted their dominance early and often on their way to a 19-2 win over Bowling Green.
Already up 1-0 in the second inning, the Aggies really started to break the game open when freshman catcher Hunter Coleman tripled off the wall in right-center to score Cam Blake. He was followed by lead-off hitter Nick Choruby, who hit the Aggies first home run of the 2017 season – a line-shot off the right field foul pole – to put A&M up, 4-0.
But the Aggies were not done scoring for the day. Texas A&M added nine runs in the fifth, thanks in large part to a slew of walks by the Bowling Green pitching staff.
But the Aggies were not done scoring for the day. Texas A&M added nine runs in the fifth, thanks in large part to a slew of walks by the Bowling Green pitching staff.The Falcons sent three different pitchers to the mound in the fifth, including freshman Chandler Stillings, who did not retire a single batter.
The Aggie catchers had an impressive game at the plate. The tandem of Hunter Coleman and Jorge Gutierrez went a combined for 5-6 with 2 HR’s and 5 RBI’s in the game.
“Gutierrez has been swinging the bat really well lately,” said head coach Rob Childress. “He had an okay fall, but he came back a man on a mission in January. He’s kind of forced himself into the lineup.”
With hot bats, and solid defense behind him, Aggie starter Stephen Kolek took the mound throwing strikes. The only blemish on the day for Kolek came in the fifth when Falcon catcher Jeff Scott hit a home run to center-field. The defense was highlighted by a 6-4-3 double-play in the 4th, which started on a web gem-worthy diving stop by shortstop Austin Homan.
“I just tried to get my defense involved,” said Stephen Kolek. “To have an offense like that behind you, you can just go out and pitch with no fear.”
Kolek finished with a line of 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits and 3 strikeouts on 57 pitches to get the win. Kolek was replaced by Landon Miner after the long bottom of the fifth. Mason Cole pitched a scoreless ninth for the Aggies en route to the victory.
In the second game of the day, the Aggies were behind 3-1 after 3 1/2 innings but ended any discussion of the game staying close when they erupted for 15 unanswered runs on their way to a 16-5 victory.
The Aggies got the scoring started early once again when Nick Choruby scored on a Walker Pennington single to left to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead. The Aggies scored a run in the first inning of every game against Bowling Green this weekend.
Marc Flores, TexAgs
The Aggie bats pounded the Bowling Green pitching staff all weekend, producing a total of 50 runs in three games.
“In the fall I knew that I was struggling,” said Gutierrez. “I worked hard every day to do whatever I could to help the team, and in the end, hard work pays off.”
Bowling Green got on the board for the first time in the series thanks to a fielders choice bunt by Jake Wilson in the third inning. The Falcons added two more runs in the fourth on a Riley Minork triple to left-center and two more in the eighth.
Mitchell Kilkenny got the start for the Aggies in game three. He went 5.0 IP, 3 ER, and 6 strikeouts on 73 pitches. Not Kilkenny's best outing, but he battled to strand a runner at third with back-to-back strikeouts to end the fourth.
The Aggie bats tacked on six runs in the fifth and five more in the 7th, which included a George Janca 2-RBI triple off the wall in right-center. Janca later scored on a fielder's choice ground ball by Austin Homan.
That was all the run support the pitching staff would need. Coach Childress used a 3-man bullpen of John Doxakis, Cason Sherrod and Corbin Martin to finish up the final 4 innings. Martin was the only one to pitch two innings and struck out 4.
The Aggies will be back in action on Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park to face Stephen F. Austin. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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