Spring Break
Fried Rice
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: News
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HOUSTON - In a season of inconsistencies and struggles, No. 23 Texas A&M was due for a marquee win.
Tuesday at Rice's Reckling Park, where Aggie baseball seasons have gone to die, A&M broke through with a 7-3 upset victory against the top-ranked Owls.
"It's a good win," said A&M Head Coach Rob Childress. "There's nothing else to say about it and hopefully it will spill over into the weekend."
The Aggies improved to 22-14 overall, snapping a two-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak against Rice dating back to 2007.
A&M's previous win against a top-ranked team was against Rice in the 2007 Houston College Classic. The Aggies went on to lose Super Regionals at Rice in 2007 and 2008.
Sophomore pitcher Barrett Loux was the key to the game for A&M. The right-handed starter threw five innings and struck out a road career-high nine batters.
"We just had to win this game," Loux said. "We did and it was good."
The Aggies helped Loux at the plate. In the first inning, junior second baseman Brodie Greene scored the first run of the game from first base when sophomore left fielder Brooks Raley hit a double that bounced off the bullpen fence in right field.
Raley went 3-for-4 in the game, hitting two RBIs. The sophomore, who also pitches on the weekend, has reached base in every game he has gone to the plate this season.
"Coming here and playing at this ballpark and all the history we've had here, it was a big win," Raley said. "We're good to go. We're playing with a lot more confidence."
Rice answered with a run in the bottom half of the first inning to tie the game, but the Owls never got any closer in their ninth loss of the season.
A&M took the lead in the third inning thanks to freshman shortstop Adam Smith's home run that bounced off the scoreboard in right field.
The Aggies extended the lead when Greene scored his second run of the game on a two-out RBI single by sophomore catcher Kevin Gonzalez, his 12th two-out RBI of the season.
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