Aggies Off to Best Start Since 1993 after 11-1 Win over New Mexico

Sunday, February 29

College Station, TX

Texas A&M

12-1

New Mexico

1-5-1

New Mexico

Texas A&M

Feb 29, 2004 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

February 29, 2004

True freshman Austin Boggs went 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored and junior transfer Kyle Marlatt threw a complete game to lead 14th-ranked Texas A&M to a 11-1 win over New Mexico in eight innings Sunday evening before 4,212 fans at Olsen Field.

With the win A&M, the Domino's Pizza Aggie Baseball Classic champions, improved to 12-1 and 5-1 on the weekend. The Aggies' hot start is their best since the 1993 squad opened the year 15-1.

The Lobos fell to 1-7-1 and finish 1-5 in the tournament.

Boggs hit .522 in the six games over the weekend and was named the tournament's most valuable player. He drove in six runs and a pair of doubles and had four more hits (12) than anyone else in the tournament.

Marlatt's impressive outing came in his first start at Texas A&M, tossing all eight innings and allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out five. He did not allow a New Mexico baserunner to reach second until the eighth inning, when Jay Russell singled and stole second to start off the frame.

The Aggies jumped on the board quickly against Lobo starter Karsten Gaarder.

A one-out single by freshman third baseman Austin Boggs scored Justin Ruggiano with the game's first run in the bottom of the second.

A&M added another run in the third on an RBI single to right by Coby Mavroulis that scored Erik Schindewolf, who reached on a one-out double to left center.

The Aggies increased the lead to 4-0 in the fourth inning.

Justin Ruggiano led off with a walk and promptly stole second. One out later, another RBI single by Boggs plated Ruggiano with the third run of the game. Junior right fielder Todd Stroud followed with a triple to center field to earn his second RBI of the season.

Boggs drove in his third run of the game in the fifth with another single, scoring Brian Bowe who had doubled to left center.

A&M scored four runs with two outs in the seventh to open up a 9-0 lead.

Stroud began the rally with a bases-loaded single through the left side to score Ruggiano and Bowe. Craig Stinson followed that with a single to right to score Boggs. Then, a wild pitch by New Mexico's Kevin Letz brought home Stroud with the game's ninth run.

UNM finally got on the board in the top of the eighth when Chris Dabbs' sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field scored Russell.

Another wild pitch by Letz scored Mavroulis in the eighth, who tripled with one out, to make the score 10-1. Mavroulis finished the day 3-for-5 with the triple and an RBI.

Gaarder (0-1) took the loss, going six innings and giving up eight hits, five earned runs and walking four while striking out two.

Texas A&M returns to action this weekend when the Aggies head to the west coast to face the UCLA Bruins in a three-game set. Friday's first pitch at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles is set for 7 p.m. (CST).

 All-Tournament Team C - Brady Toops, Arkansas 1B - Sean Murray, New Mexico 2B - Ryan Barba, New Mexico 3B - Austin Boggs, Texas A&M SS - Cliff Pennington, Texas A&M OF - Matt Young, New Mexico OF - Jake Dugger, Arkansas OF - Andrew Baldwin, Texas A&M DH - Haas Pratt, Arkansas P - Jason Fernandez, New Mexico P - Robert Ray, Texas A&M P - Kyle Marlatt, Texas A&M MVP - Austin Boggs, Texas A&M Tournament Records: Texas A&M 5-1 Arkansas 3-3 New Mexico 1-5