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It looked like it might be deja vu all over again for the 14th-ranked Texas A&M baseball team Friday night at Olsen Field in front of 4,388 fans. Oklahoma State won three games in the ninth inning last season in sweeping the Aggies at Stillwater, Okla. This time, though, Kyle Thebeau came in to preserve the 4-2 victory for Kyle Nicholson, who shut out the Big 12's leading team in hitting for eight innings before the Cowboys began their ninth-inning rally attempt. "Last year we were left on the field three games in a row, and it was miserable up in Stillwater," Nicholson said. "This was very important on Friday night to get that momentum." The victory allowed the Aggies (32-8, 9-6 Big 12) to close the gap on OSU (29-10, 8-5) in the Big 12 standings. The two teams will play again Saturday and Sunday, with both games set to start at 1 p.m. A&M led 4-0 going into the ninth. Tyler Mach singled and pinch runner Dusty Harvard was tripled home by Matt Mangini. A Blake Stouffer throwing error allowed Mangini to score and put Cowboys on first and second. The Aggies caught a break on the next play and took advantage of it when a perfect throw home by right fielder Brodie Greene got Rebel Ridling, who was sent home on Kendall Horner's single. Instead of bases loaded and no outs, the Cowboys had first and second again with one out. Nicholson (9-1), who threw 125 pitches, was pulled for Thebeau. Nicholson finished with a career-high nine strikeouts and had his scoreless inning streak of 24 end in the ninth. Thebeau, who pitched late in two of the Aggie losses to the Cowboys last season, struck out pinch-hitter Kevin David and induced leadoff hitter Keanon Simon to hit a routine fly to center fielder Kyle Colligan to end the game. "Kyle Nicholson did a great job against maybe one of the best lineups in the country ... I mean [he had a good] three-pitch mix all night long," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "I knew Oklahoma State was going to make a run. It was just a matter of when, because they are too good offensively. "Thebeau is our closer, and since we put him in the bullpen, he's proven that he's got a chance to come out and dominate." TEXAS A&M 4 OKLAHOMA STATE 2 RECORDS: Texas A&M (32-8, 9-6), Oklahoma State (29-10, 8-5) WP: Kyle Nicholson (9-1) LP: Jeff Breedlove (0-2) SAVE: Kyle Thebeau (4) GAME 2: 1 p.m. Saturday A&M dominated offensively for most of the game, getting 13 hits, but the Aggies' aggressive style on the basepaths cost them a couple of opportunities to extend their lead. Greene was thrown out at home in the sixth, and Ben Feltner, who went 4 for 4 with two bunt singles, was caught stealing in the first and was later gunned down by right fielder Corey Brown while attempting to stretch a single into a double. The Aggies also ran into two double-plays by hitting line drives right at Cowboy infielders while a runner was attempting to steal. "[Feltner] trying to stretch that single into a double ... to me I told him he's got to be sure because he can get to second anyway with a stolen base," Childress said. "But he had a good night." A&M scored two runs in the first inning on consecutive doubles by Stouffer, Colligan and Luke Anders off losing pitcher Jeff Breedlove (0-2). In the second, Darby Brown singled and came home four batters later on a Feltner infield single and a throwing error. Anders singled in the sixth and scored on Parker Dalton's bunt single for the Aggies' final run.
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NOTES - Thebeau's save, his fourth, bettered last year's leaders in that category. Hart Hering and Jordan Chambless both had three. ... Nicholson's two earned runs allowed in 8 1/2 innings increased his ERA to 1.24 for the season.
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