Spring Break
Gigging 'em at Olsen
Patterson's 10th inning single leads Aggies to 4-3 victory against TCU
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Sports
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Tied 3-3 with runners on first and second base and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Patterson was going to the plate batting 0-for-4 in the game. A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said he told Patterson to just get a hit; it was time to go home.
"I had to call time and take a deep breath," Patterson said. "I was just thinking 'Alright, I've got to get Luke in here because we need to go home. I've got a test tonight.'"
TCU freshman reliever Kaleb Merck left a fastball in the strike zone and Patterson knocked a single up the middle to score senior first baseman Luke Anders from second base, giving the Aggies a walk-off win.
"He gave me a good a pitch to hit and I just tried to get a base hit," Patterson said. "That was a great feeling, to get that win."
A&M improved to 29-15 overall and will move up the Ratings Percentage Index rankings due to TCU's No. 10 national ranking in RPI going into the game. The Aggies are 8-1 since beating Rice on April 14. During that stretch, A&M is batting .344 and has a 2.81 team ERA.
The Aggies took their first lead in the third inning when freshman shortstop Adam Smith hit a solo home run that cleared the score board in left field.
In the fourth inning, Horned Frogs freshman starter Kyle Winkler was pinned with a second A&M run when TCU sophomore reliever Trent Appleby forced sophomore catcher Kevin Gonzalez into a ground out to short, scoring Anders from third base and giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead.
The Aggies started junior Clayton Ehlert on the mound. Going into the game, Ehlert had a 6.41 ERA and an opponent batting average of .330. Despite giving up eight base runners in the first four innings, Ehlert did not allow a run.
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