Spring Break
Baseball team drops conference tourney opener
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 5/11/09 Section: Sports
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Missouri junior pitcher Kyle Gibson did not have his best pitches working Wednesday against Texas A&M - but he adjusted and shut the Aggies out in six innings of work.
In the third game of the 2009 Big 12 Championship Tournament, A&M failed to take advantage of runners in scoring position and struggled against Gibson, losing 5-2.
Gibson said his fastball was not working as well as it has in the past so he used his off-speed pitches to mix up his attack and make his fastball look better.
"His fastball wasn't overpowering but what he did - he pitched," A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said. "A lot of guys can go out and compete and do well when they've got their A stuff. Great pitchers, when they have their B stuff, they go out and find a way to get it done. Kyle Gibson is definitely a great one."
Gibson pitched six innings, giving up three hits and striking out seven. A&M was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against him.
After giving up a single to sophomore left fielder Brooks Raley in the first inning, Gibson did not allow a hit until the fifth. Senior center fielder Kyle Colligan had Gibsons third hit in the sixth inning.
"He located really well," Colligan said. "He kept the ball down and when he left it up we got a couple hits but he kept it down the whole time. He just commanded the game and did a really good job of pitching. "
A&M finished the game 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.
The Tigers used early runs to put the game out of reach of the Aggies. Missouri senior second baseman Austin Holt scored from third base on a sacrifice fly to center field by junior center fielder Greg Folgia to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Senior right fielder Ryan Lollis punched a ball into left center field for a triple in the third inning and scored on another sacrifice fly to center by Folgia, stretching Missouri's lead.
A&M junior starting pitcher Clayton Ehlert was pulled after the third inning as Childress sent senior reliever Kyle Thebeau to the mound.
In the third game of the 2009 Big 12 Championship Tournament, A&M failed to take advantage of runners in scoring position and struggled against Gibson, losing 5-2.
Gibson said his fastball was not working as well as it has in the past so he used his off-speed pitches to mix up his attack and make his fastball look better.
"His fastball wasn't overpowering but what he did - he pitched," A&M Head Coach Rob Childress said. "A lot of guys can go out and compete and do well when they've got their A stuff. Great pitchers, when they have their B stuff, they go out and find a way to get it done. Kyle Gibson is definitely a great one."
Gibson pitched six innings, giving up three hits and striking out seven. A&M was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against him.
After giving up a single to sophomore left fielder Brooks Raley in the first inning, Gibson did not allow a hit until the fifth. Senior center fielder Kyle Colligan had Gibsons third hit in the sixth inning.
"He located really well," Colligan said. "He kept the ball down and when he left it up we got a couple hits but he kept it down the whole time. He just commanded the game and did a really good job of pitching. "
A&M finished the game 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.
The Tigers used early runs to put the game out of reach of the Aggies. Missouri senior second baseman Austin Holt scored from third base on a sacrifice fly to center field by junior center fielder Greg Folgia to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Senior right fielder Ryan Lollis punched a ball into left center field for a triple in the third inning and scored on another sacrifice fly to center by Folgia, stretching Missouri's lead.
A&M junior starting pitcher Clayton Ehlert was pulled after the third inning as Childress sent senior reliever Kyle Thebeau to the mound.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com