The Battalion
ORTS
XI L kJ
Page 7
Tuesday • February 1 8, 1 997
ggies pick up win in grand fashion, 9-5
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
there is no crying in baseball,
n Texas A&M Baseball Coach
rk Johnson was fighting back the
s during an afternoon double-
der at Olsen Field.
The Aggies (8-4) lost the first
ae to the University of Nevada-
Jio Wolf Pack (7-5) 10-4, and
led 5-4 in the second game go-
into the bottom of the ninth.
That was when the tears
changed from tears of frustration to
tears of joy as senior Johnny Hunter
came out of a slump and hit the
game-winning grand slam to lead
A&M to a 9-5 win in Game two.
“I had a good feeling for some
reason all daylong,” Hunter said. “I
knew I was going to do something
good, but I didn’t know what it was.
I didn’t get down on myself. I just
stayed positive and believed.”
Hunter sat out the first game of
Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion
Freshman Steven Truitt bunts to advance the runners to second and third
with one out in the second inning of the first game at Olsen Field.
irm
the twin bill and was 0 for 4 in Game
two, before his grand slam.
“I told the guys, and Johnny
Hunter is a prime example of this,”
Johnson said. “You can go from a
bum to a hero in just one day, and
that’s what he did.”
Sophomore outfielder Steve
Leonard led off the ninth inning
with a base hit. The Nevada pitch
ers had retired seven straight Aggie
batters prior to his hit.
“Steve Leonard did a great job
with a 2-2 curve ball — that’s what
really got us going,” Hunter said.
“Then (sophomore outfielder Ja
son) Tyner got his little hit.”
Senior second baseman Brian
Benefield moved the runners to
second and third with a sacrifice
bunt and only one out.
Then Nevada intentionally
walked junior designated hitter
Scott Sandusky to load the bases
for senior shortstop Rich Petru.
Petru, the team leader in RBIs
with 12, delivered with a bloop
single over the outstretched arm
of Nevada shortstop Joe Inglett to
score Leonard.
That set up Hunter’s grand slam.
“It was high energy,” Johnson
said. “I think the thing that really
happened was that we got some
back-to-back hits.”
Nevada looked primed for an
other big win, jumping out to a 5-
1 lead going into the bottom of
the sixth inning. But the Aggies
put together a two-out rally which
was sparked by junior catcher
Matt Garrick’s solo home run.
After Garrick’s home run, fresh
man Steve Scarborough singled and
then Nevada gave up walks to
sophomore first baseman John
Scheschuk, playing for the injured
Jason Stephens, and Leonard.
Tyner then hit a two-run double
Tim Moog, The Battalion
Sophomore outfielder Jason Tyner retreats to first base after Nevada pitcher Ryan Church tries to pick him off in
the first inning of the first game yesterday at Olsen Field.
that cut the lead to one.
A&M junior pitcher Robert
Keens (2-0) came in to relieve an
unstable pitching staff that
struggled all afternoon. He gave
up one hit in three innings of
work to get the win.
“He’s the one that gave us a breath
of fresh air,” Johnson said. “Our start
ing pitching didn’t give us any in
nings. So we got in our bullpen deep.”
The Aggies used nine different
pitchers during the doubleheader.
Neither starter, freshman Chris Ful-
bright in Game one or junior John
Sneed in Game two, made it out of the
second inning. Fulbright did not give
up any runs or hits, but walked four of
the nine batters he faced. Sneed
struck out three, but gave up four
earned runs on four hits in 1.2 innings.
A&M jumped out to a 2-0 lead in
Game one, then watched as the
Wolf Pack rallied to score 10 runs. A
seven-run fifth inning, keyed by a
grand slam by Nevada third base-
man Andy Dominique, was all the
offense they would need.
“We just didn’t really come out
ready to play,” Hunter said. “Some
times we get out into that big trap of
playing a weekday series. We just
have to pick it up.”
•OLOGIE5 TVlWi
After four years, all he wants is the 'ring'
Team-oriented co-captain Rich Petru has eyes set on conference title
:areer
Tim Moog, The Battalion
enior shortstop Rich Petru waits for the pitch in Tuesday's doubleheader
gainst the University of Nevada-Reno.
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
very team needs a Rich
Petru. A guy who does the
I little things.
A player who gives his all prac
tice and in games and drives his
teammates to do the same.
The Texas A&M Baseball Team is
glad to have Rich Petru.
The Aggie senior shortstop has
been a major contributor to the
team’s success over the past three
seasons. He comes into 1997 with
a career batting average of .304
and has continued to perform at
the plate this season. He is batting
.316, and has knocked in a team
high-12 runs.
His work in the field has been
important to the seventh ranked
Aggies as well.
“Rich has done an excellent job,”
senior second baseman Brian
Benefield said. “He’s been solid of
fensively and defensively.”
But “solid” players do not grab
headlines.
“He’s a very consistent player,”
A&M Head Coach Mark Johnson
said. “And I think that goes unno
ticed sometimes.”
That’s the beauty of a guy like
Rich Petru. The senior co-cap-
tain has become one of the Ag
gies most valuable assets by do
ing the things that
do not show up in
the box score.
“I try to lead by
example,” Petru
said. “I guess that’s
the kind of leader I
want to be, one
that everyone sees
play hard and
makes them want
to play hard too.”
Johnson agreed,
saying, “He’s a 100
percent effort guy.” IBIIIWMWWHM
Another impor
tant aspect of Petru’s game is the
experience he brings to the team.
Since starting the season opener
his freshman year, Petru has been a
key component of the Aggie lineup.
“He brings a lot of experience,”
Johnson said. “He’s been in our line
up off and on for four years now.
He’s been in the hunt and experi
ence — you can’t teach that.”
Despite being an integral part
of one of college baseball’s elite
programs, there is one thing Petru
has not been a part of — a cham
pionship team.
“Everything you
want representing
your team, your
university, is in
Rich Petru.”
Mark Johnson
A&M head coach
“We haven’t won a ring since I’ve
been here,” he said. “That’s the only
thing I’m looking for. I would really
like to go out with a ring.”
Petru’s team-first mentality is
due in part to his maturity, an as
pect the coaches have noticed.
“He’s not a problem to me at
all,” Johnson said. “I could take
those kinds of guys every year.
He’s going to get his degree.
Everything you want representing
your team, your university, is in
Rich Petru.”
For Petru, who won a GTE Acad
emic Achievement Award last sea
son, getting his diploma will be one
of his proudest moments.
While most baseball players spent-
the off-season in summer leagues,
Petru stayed in College Station.
“Over the summer, I didn’t go
anywhere,” he said. “I stayed here
and went to summer school so that
I will be able to graduate in May.”
Petru was still able to improve
his game. With the help of A&M
coaches, he was able to fine tune his
swing. He also spent time working
on his speed and strength.
Petru’s commitment to hard
work and improvement has set him
apart in the eyes of his coaches.
“The thing that I would hitch to
his game,” Johnson said, “is that
Rich Petru came to practice hard;
he came to play hard. I’ve never
seen a day where he hasn’t done
either of those.”
Every team can use a Rich Petru.
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