Spring Break
A&M baseball wins first Big 12 tournament
Season-high 20 hits gives Aggies 14-6 win over Baylor
By: Jack Molitor
Issue date: 5/27/07 Section: News
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The Aggies bounced back this week to defeat the Longhorns, Kansas State, and Baylor to win the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.
In the championship game, the Aggies jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first two innings. Baylor cut the lead to two with three runs in the fifth inning to make the score 7-5. The charge was highlighted by a solo home run by Bears second baseman Shaver Hansen.
However, in the seventh inning A&M broke the game open with four runs on five hits, all singles, putting the score at 12-5 and placing the game out of reach for the Bears. A&M junior Gary Campfield pitched the final 4 1/3 innings to secure the championship with a final score of 14-6.
After the game the A&M team celebrated its first Big 12 title and hoisted the championship trophy. A&M head coach Rob Childress said that he had a feeling that his team would deliver.
"It was our day today," Rob Childress said. "I saw it in our players' eyes when we met up before the game."
Craig Stinson was awarded MVP for the tournament. Stinson went 11 for 19 with nine RBIs over the four game stretch.
"It felt really good this year," Stinson said. "Especially after missing the tournament the last two years and not being competitive, it feels great to get the trophy and take it back to College Station."
After falling to Nebraska in the tournament opener 5-3, the Aggies picked up possibly their biggest victory of the season, 7-3 against No. 5 Texas. A&M junior left handed pitcher Kirkland Rivers stepped up and pitched in his longest outing of the season in a spot start, only his second of the year. Rivers held the potent Longhorn offense to only three runs over 6 2/3 innings.
Senior catcher Craig Stinson gave the Aggies the lead for good in the third inning with a grand slam. Clutch pitching by Rivers the very next inning kept the Longhorns from scoring despite loading the bases.
In the 7-2 win against Kansas State, the A&M offense exploded for four runs in the first three innings to jump out to an early 4-1 lead. A&M junior pitcher David Newmann pitched five solid innings to pick up the win. The victory propelled A&M to the championship round against the Baylor Bears.
With the win the Aggies capture the Big 12 title and home field advantage in the first tier of the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies will be placed with four other teams in a double-elimination bracket. The regional will take place June 1 - 4, with the pairings to be announced Monday on an ESPN selection show.
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