College Station, Texas – Designated hitter Matt Juengel went 3-for-3 with a home run, four runs batted in and three runs scored to lead #8/21 Texas A&M to a 14-0 win over the Le Moyne College baseball team on Sunday afternoon at Olsen Field.
Krey Bratsen led off the bottom of the first inning for the Aggies by reaching base on a throwing error by the pitcher. Tyler Naquin then tripled to the gap in left center to drive in Bratsen. Following a walk to Juengel, Jacob House singled through the left side to plate Naquin and move Juengel to second. After Adam Smith grounded out, Juengel scored from third on a wild pitch. Kevin Gonzalez extended the Aggie lead to 5-0 with a 380-foot, two-run blast to left field.
Texas A&M increased its lead to six with a run on two hits in the third frame. Gonzalez drew a walk with one out and moved to third two batters later on a single down the right field line by Kenny Jackson. Charlie Curl then singled to left field to drive in Gonzalez.
The Aggies added three runs on three hits in the fourth inning. Naquin led off with a triple off the wall in right center and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Juengel. After House singled to right and Smith struck out, Gonzalez reached on a throwing error by the second baseman to keep the inning alive. Jace Statum followed a passed ball that allowed House and Gonzalez to move up a base with a double to center field to drive in the two unearned runs and knock redshirt sophomore right-hander Derek Zielinski (Schenectady, N.Y./Colonie) out of the game.
Texas A&M pushed across three more runs on one hit and two errors in the fifth inning. With one out, Naquin reached second on a two-base error by the second baseman and came around to score on a single to center by Juengel. After back-to-back walks to load the bases, Juengel scored on a throwing error by the pitcher as Gonzalez reached base. Following a pop out, House scored on a wild pitch.
Following a one-out, sixth-inning double to left center by Naquin, Juengel drilled a 383-foot, two-run homer to left field, his second long-ball of the series.
Zielinski, making his first appearance on the mound in 673 days, took the loss after allowing nine runs (six earned) on nine hits over three and two-thirds innings, while striking out three batters. Sophomores Vincent Redmond (Ithaca, N.Y./Lansing/Garrett College) and Brian Stinson (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) accounted for Le Moyne's two hits on the afternoon. Redshirt sophomore Ross Hales, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection as a freshman in 2009, picked up the win for the Aggies after yielding just two hits over six innings, while striking out five batters.
Le Moyne (0-3), which suffered its most lop-sided shutout loss as a Division I program and was shutout for just the 36th time in 1,010 Division I games, returns to action on Friday for the start of a four-game series at James Madison at 3:00 p.m.
