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Aggies beat Patriots in 12th

By RICHARD CROOME
Eagle Staff Writer

Luke Anders had somewhere he had to be, and Blake Stouffer sprinted around the bases like he was already late.

Anders drove in Stouffer from first with a double in the 12th inning to give Texas A&M an 11-10 victory over the Dallas Baptist Patriots on Thursday in the first of a three-game nonconference series at Olsen Field.

Stouffer, who went 5 for 5, singled to open the inning. The Big 12's player of the week finished with three runs and four RBIs.

"I told coach [Rob Childress] I had to get home and study, that I had two finals [Friday]," Anders said. "He was like, 'You better win the game then,' and I said all right."

A&M sent the game into extra innings with two runs in the ninth to make it 10-10.

Dane Carter reached on an error by shortstop Austin Knight. With one out, Brandon Hicks stroked a ball into the left-field corner for a triple. Ben Feltner walked to put runners on the corners. Stouffer drove in Hicks with a sacrifice fly that was caught in foul territory by left fielder Evan Bigley.

Bigley hit Kyle Thebeau's first pitch in the ninth for a grand slam and a 10-8 lead.

The towering shot put an exclamation point on A&M's ninth-inning troubles this season. The only difference was it came on a Thursday rather than a Sunday, and this time A&M was able to recover.

The Aggies have let three of their last six games slip through their hands in the final inning by giving up home runs after issuing walks.

This time it was reliever Clayton Ehlert who set the table for the Patriots, giving up a single to J.T. Bloodworth after falling behind 2-0 in the count. Then he walked Austin Krum and Austin Knight.

Thebeau came in, and Bigley sent his first pitch way back into Aggie Alley.

In the 11th, Dallas Baptist's leadoff hitter Brandon Bantz was hit on the elbow. He was erased immediately, though, when Bloodworth bunted into a double play on a 2-0 pitch.

It turned out to be a big play as Austin Krum walked, and Austin Knight singled before Bigley flied out to right.