Spring Break
Same song, second verse
Odd coaching moves changed the momentum and were the catalyst in the Game 2 loss
By: Jack Molitor
Issue date: 6/9/08 Section: News
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Since the postseason began, the hitting maladies that plagued the Aggies at the end of the Big 12 schedule quickly became a thing of the past. They scored 53 runs in four games in the regional, and even in the Saturday loss to Rice they plated seven and took good cuts.
So it was odd that Childress was trying to outsmart a fundamentally sound team. The first questionable move came in the second inning when a double-steal attempt went awry, killing a potential rally.
But the attempt to steal home in the fourth was a head-scratcher. Not only did the Aggies already have seven hits, but they were in the heads of the Owl's pitchers. Freshman starter Mike Ojala walked three and seemed to be unable to reach the catcher's mitt, and his relievers did not have much better control. But when the Aggies ran into senseless outs when they had the Owls on the ropes, it emboldened Rice and gave them back the homefield advantage.
The Aggie bats were not the same the rest of the night, with one hit after the fourth inning. And it was up to the pitching staff to hang on against a perennial College World Series team that smelled blood, had momentum and had the home field.
Being aggressive and opportunistic is understandable. Making an offense that is hot second-guess itself is not. The disappointing thing is the Aggies were good enough to beat the Owls if they had just played their game.
But the more experienced team, and coach, won.
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