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Updated 7:00 AM on Saturday, June 9, 2007

Aggies drop heartbreaker

Texas A&M lets late lead slip away in 10-inning Rice win

By RICHARD CROOME
Eagle Staff Writer

HOUSTON - It's not like the Aggies haven't been here before.

For the third straight week, Texas A&M is going to have to win out over the weekend to keep alive their hopes for a championship.

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Buy this photo AP Photo/Dave Einsel Rice's Jordan Dodson, left, slides ahead of the tag by Texas A&M catcher Craig Stinson (19) to tie the score during the ninth inning of an NCAA Super Regional baseball game, Friday, June 8, 2007, in Houston.

This time, though, it's against the No. 1 Rice Owls (53-12), who rallied to tie Game 1 of their best-of-3 Super Regional series in the ninth before winning it 3-2 in the 10th.

A&M (48-18) will have to win Saturday's 5 p.m. Game 2 back at Reckling Park to extend the series to Sunday and a deciding Game 3.

"We've done it the last two weeks, so we might be right where we want to be, although I'd much rather be 1-0," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "We've got something to draw from the last two weeks, losing to Nebraska in the first game of the Big 12 Tournament and losing the Saturday game to Lousiana-Lafayette. [The players] know that they can do it. It's going to be a tough test, no doubt about it, because Rice is a very good team, and we'll have our hands full no matter who is on the mound."

A two-out, bunt basehit by Owls' catcher Danny Lehmann started the winning sequence in the bottom of the 10th.

"I can't remember the last time I bunted for a single," Lehmann said. "I know it wasn't this year."

Lehmann moved to second when Aggie ace Kyle Nicholson (11-3), who relieved starter David Newmann in the seventh, walked Joe Savery on four pitches.

Childress called on reliever Gary Campfield to get the third out of the inning, but Jordan Dodson ripped his first pitch to left field to drive home Lehmann for the winning run.

"[Nicholson's] out there going on guts, and I thought Dodson had a good look at him his last at bat, leading off the last inning," Childress said. "It was the right move on him, and I'd make it again tomorrow."

Dodson scored the tying run in the ninth. He battled Nicholson for seven pitches before poking a single into left field. Tyler Henley then pushed Dodson to second with a sacrifice bunt.

Diego Seastrunk hit the next Nicholson offering into center field for a single. Colligan fielded it on one hop and threw home, but his throw was a step up the first-base line. Dodson slid home safely.

"It definitely felt good coming out of my hand," Colligan said of the throw. "I thought it would be close at home. He capped it, flared it out in front of me, and I guess Dodson took off as soon as the ball was hit because that's the only way I know he could have got home that fast."

A&M scored single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead, while the left-handed Newmann fought through the Rice lineup despite not having his best stuff.

"[Newmann] got us through six innings with the lead," Childress said. "He got it together, and that's what makes me most proud of him is the way he's learned to compete and avoid the big inning."

HOUSTON SUPER REGIONAL FRIDAY'S GAME: Rice 4, Texas A&M 3, 10 innings (Rice leads best-of-3 series 1-0) TODAY'S GAME: Texas A&M (starting pitcher TBA) vs. Rice (Matt Langwell, 7-1, 1.73 ERA), Game 2, 5 p.m. RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM • INSIDE: Super Regional notebook, B3

Blake Stouffer led off the second with a hard grounder that hopped over the first base bag and ricocheted off the right-field stands for a double.

Stouffer advanced to third on Craig Stinson's groundout. Luke Anders then drove a 3-0 pitch down the right-field line for a single, scoring Stouffer.

Two two-out doubles gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead in the third. Colligan doubled, then scored on Brandon Hicks' 21st double of the season.

The Owls got on the board in the fifth when they were given five outs by the Aggies.

J.P. Padron reached on third baseman Brian Ruggiano's throwing error. Padron collided with first baseman Stouffer on the throw and was given second when the ball went out of play.

Brian Friday's grounder then bounced between Hicks' legs, allowing pinch runner Derek Myers to score.

"It cost us, and that's something we've done extremely well the last four or five weeks, playing good defense," Childress said. "Credit our guys for being able to avoid the big inning even though we had two errors to start it off."

Chad Lembreck then singled, but the Aggies escaped any further trouble when Stinson jumped out from behind the plate quickly to throw out Friday at third on a later bunt attempt. A fly out and a grounder ended the fifth.

The Aggies had an opportunity to pad their lead in the sixth but had two runners - one on a fielder's choice and another on a stolen base - thrown out at third.

"We were guilty of making more mistakes," Childress said.

Said Rice coach Wayne Graham: "It was a game of breaks, and we got our share."

Rice starter Ryan Berry, Collegiate Baseball's freshman pitcher of the year, struck out 10 Aggies in 7 1/3 innings.

Former A&M Consolidated standout Bobby Bramhall (6-2) gave up no hits and walked just one in 2 2/3 innings of relief.

"Obviously, it was our pitching that held us in there," Graham said. "Bobby pitched lights out."