Sunday, February 21
College Station
12:00 PM
Texas A&M
3-0
5
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Hofstra
0-3
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9
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Hofstra
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Texas A&M
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8
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Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Blank Hofstra, 5-0, to Complete Sweep
Feb 21, 2016 | Baseball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Three Aggie pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout and A&M's 6-8 hitters combined to go 7-for-9 with four runs and five RBI as the Maroon and White toppled Hofstra, 5-0, Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
As the first freshman pitcher to start an opening weekend game for Texas A&M since Barret Loux in 2008, Tyler Ivey (1-0) cruised through 6.0 innings, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out seven to earn the win.
Ty Schlottmann allowed a leadoff single in the seventh, but a strikeout and a double play ended the frame. Mark Ecker closed out the game with two blank frames, allowing two hits while striking out two.
No. 7 hitter J.B. Moss went 3-for-3 with one walk, one double, two RBI and one stolen base. In the six hole, Joel Davis went 1-for-2 with one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one stolen base and two runs. No. 8 hitter Ronnie Gideon batted 2-for-4 with one run, one home run and three RBI.
The Aggies broke the scoring seal in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Davis was hit by a pitch and stole second base. After Moss drew a four-pitch walk, Gideon gapped a single to left-center plating Davis for the 1-0 lead.
Davis got the Aggies engine revving with two outs again in the fourth inning. He slapped a single to left-center and came around to score when Moss punched a double into right-center, staking the Aggies to a 2-0 cushion.
Texas A&M (3-0) tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Moss started the frame by lacing a single through the left side of the infield and Gideon launched an 0-1 offering to dead centerfield for a two-run home run, his second of the season.
The Aggies capped off the scoring in the eighth. Hunter Melton was hit by a pitch to start the inning and with one out he scooted to second base on a passed ball. After Davis drew a seven-pitch walk, Moss singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Melton for the 5-0 advantage.
It marks the third consecutive season the Aggies opened a campaign with a series sweep and the seventh time in the last eight years.
The Aggies return to action Tuesday when they host the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in a 6:30 pm contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
Thoughts on the game…
"Very proud of our team. You never know what you're going to get until face another team and you put people in the stands. I thought we pitched at a high level and we played great defense. We saw some improvements as the weekend went along."
On two-out hits…
"We grabbed our first two runs with two big two-out hits. Both times we were able to put an inning together with two out and nobody on. That allowed Tyler (Ivey) to relax a little bit."
On Tyler Ivey's outing…
"I couldn't ask for anything more. He's been as good as any freshmen we've had in the years I've been here from the fall to the spring. He did a good job to control his emotions. I probably could have sent him out there for the seventh but I thought he pitched well enough to get our older guys in there to finish it off."
Junior designated hitter Ronnie Gideon...
On the two-run home run…
"He missed his location and I was able to take advantage of it. I couldn't have done it with the guys in front of me wearing the pitching down. Like J.B. Moss with the outstanding at-bat before me and that could have made the difference for that pitching missing his location for me which I was able to make the most of."
Freshman pitcher Tyler Ivey
On today's game…
"It felt good. It's great to get my first start out of the way. I thought we played great defense and late in the game the offense really exploded. It felt really good overall so I'm pretty happy with it."
On his first start…
"It wasn't that bad, you know, I just tried to ignore it. I was just trying to breathe and just take the fans out of it and just focus on me and the catcher. It wasn't that bad."
On shaking coach off in the fifth inning…
"I think he called a fast ball and I just wasn't feeling the fast ball right there. I thought we could locate the change and we got him. It was pretty good. I like how Coach Childress lets us, if we are feeling a different pitch, to shake him off. Not every pitching coach is like that. That's one of the things that makes him a great coach."
Senior outfielder J.B. Moss
On today's game…
"I'm really excited how we played this weekend. We could get better in some areas but overall I'm pretty pleased with how the weekend started off."
On Ronnie Gideon…
"Ronnie is going to be a big key for us. He stayed over the baseball and hit the home run dead center. That says a lot about his approach and what he is capable of. That's really good to see today."
As the first freshman pitcher to start an opening weekend game for Texas A&M since Barret Loux in 2008, Tyler Ivey (1-0) cruised through 6.0 innings, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out seven to earn the win.
Ty Schlottmann allowed a leadoff single in the seventh, but a strikeout and a double play ended the frame. Mark Ecker closed out the game with two blank frames, allowing two hits while striking out two.
No. 7 hitter J.B. Moss went 3-for-3 with one walk, one double, two RBI and one stolen base. In the six hole, Joel Davis went 1-for-2 with one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one stolen base and two runs. No. 8 hitter Ronnie Gideon batted 2-for-4 with one run, one home run and three RBI.
The Aggies broke the scoring seal in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs, Davis was hit by a pitch and stole second base. After Moss drew a four-pitch walk, Gideon gapped a single to left-center plating Davis for the 1-0 lead.
Davis got the Aggies engine revving with two outs again in the fourth inning. He slapped a single to left-center and came around to score when Moss punched a double into right-center, staking the Aggies to a 2-0 cushion.
Texas A&M (3-0) tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Moss started the frame by lacing a single through the left side of the infield and Gideon launched an 0-1 offering to dead centerfield for a two-run home run, his second of the season.
The Aggies capped off the scoring in the eighth. Hunter Melton was hit by a pitch to start the inning and with one out he scooted to second base on a passed ball. After Davis drew a seven-pitch walk, Moss singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Melton for the 5-0 advantage.
It marks the third consecutive season the Aggies opened a campaign with a series sweep and the seventh time in the last eight years.
The Aggies return to action Tuesday when they host the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in a 6:30 pm contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
Thoughts on the game…
"Very proud of our team. You never know what you're going to get until face another team and you put people in the stands. I thought we pitched at a high level and we played great defense. We saw some improvements as the weekend went along."
On two-out hits…
"We grabbed our first two runs with two big two-out hits. Both times we were able to put an inning together with two out and nobody on. That allowed Tyler (Ivey) to relax a little bit."
On Tyler Ivey's outing…
"I couldn't ask for anything more. He's been as good as any freshmen we've had in the years I've been here from the fall to the spring. He did a good job to control his emotions. I probably could have sent him out there for the seventh but I thought he pitched well enough to get our older guys in there to finish it off."
Junior designated hitter Ronnie Gideon...
On the two-run home run…
"He missed his location and I was able to take advantage of it. I couldn't have done it with the guys in front of me wearing the pitching down. Like J.B. Moss with the outstanding at-bat before me and that could have made the difference for that pitching missing his location for me which I was able to make the most of."
Freshman pitcher Tyler Ivey
On today's game…
"It felt good. It's great to get my first start out of the way. I thought we played great defense and late in the game the offense really exploded. It felt really good overall so I'm pretty happy with it."
On his first start…
"It wasn't that bad, you know, I just tried to ignore it. I was just trying to breathe and just take the fans out of it and just focus on me and the catcher. It wasn't that bad."
On shaking coach off in the fifth inning…
"I think he called a fast ball and I just wasn't feeling the fast ball right there. I thought we could locate the change and we got him. It was pretty good. I like how Coach Childress lets us, if we are feeling a different pitch, to shake him off. Not every pitching coach is like that. That's one of the things that makes him a great coach."
Senior outfielder J.B. Moss
On today's game…
"I'm really excited how we played this weekend. We could get better in some areas but overall I'm pretty pleased with how the weekend started off."
On Ronnie Gideon…
"Ronnie is going to be a big key for us. He stayed over the baseball and hit the home run dead center. That says a lot about his approach and what he is capable of. That's really good to see today."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ivey, Tyler (1-0)
L: Matteson, Bowie (0-1)
Base Running:
CS: Annunziata, Mat 1
Batting:
2B: Moss, J.B. 1
HR: Gideon, Ronnie 1
RBI: Moss, J.B. 2 ; Gideon, Ronnie 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Melton, Hunter 1 ; Davis, Joel 2 ; Moss, J.B. 1 ; Gideon, Ronnie 1
SB: Birk, Ryne 1 ; Davis, Joel 1 ; Choruby, Nick 1 ; Moss, J.B. 1
HBP: Melton, Hunter 1 ; Davis, Joel 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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RHP
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INF
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LHP
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