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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1997)
The Battalion Monday Page 7 March 1 7, 1997 Cowboys round up Aggies, 11-7 A&M drops two of three to OSU in series By Chris Ferrell The Batealion There were no angels in the out- Id at Olsen Field Sunday after noon, but the Oklahoma State Cow boys had a leprechaun in their pockets as they defeated the Texas A&M Baseball Team 11-7 in the rub ber match of a weekend series. OSU (15-7,6-3) took advantage of a five-run, one-hit sixth inning and an eighth inning two-run homer by centerfielder Billy Gasparino to put the Aggies (16-10,3-6) away. Trailing 2-0 in the third, A&M put together a textbook two-out rally to claim a 4-2 advantage. Sophomore center fielder Jason Tyner got the run going with a bunt single and was driven in by senior second baseman Brian Benefield. After a single by senior shortstop Rich Petru, senior third baseman Ja son Stephens knocked in Benefield with a double to the left field gap to tie the game. Junior designated hit ter Matt Garrick put the Aggies ahead with a bases clearing single to close out the rally. The Aggies increased their lead to 5-2 in the fourth when senior right fielder Johnny Hunter scored from third base on a wild pitch by Okla homa State starter Scott Williamson. The Cowboys got back into the game in the sixth inning. A tiring Casey Possum walked three straight batters to load the bases and was re placed by freshman Chris Fulbright. The same bullpen woes that have haunted the Aggies all season came into play again as OSU took advan tage of the situation to claim the lead. Fulbright faced only two batters, allowing an RBI sacrifice fly to OSU junior left fielder Tony Roosien and walking Gasparino to allow anoth- Tim Moog, The Battalion junior catcher Matt Garrick swings at a pitch against the OSU Cowboys at Olsen Field Sunday. er run. He was replaced by fresh man Colby Martin with the bases still loaded. Martin was unable to stop the bleeding either, giving up a two- run double to All-American right fielder Jeff Guiel. “We didn’t want to get to the bullpen too early,” Head Coach Mark Johnson said. “We stayed with Casey a long time. But again it’s evident sometimes when we go to the bullpen, you understand why we stay with guys sometimes.” Johnson said Possum was tired after coming out of the bullpen to record a save on Friday night. “We felt like he could do that (come in for relief),” Johnson said. “And he felt like he could do that, but apparently he didn’t have as much stuff today as he normally does. It was an attempt, because we weren’t coming out of the bullpen well, to see if we could solve that problem. “He probably wouldn’t tell you that, but I didn't think he had as good of stuff, now it may have just been one of those days, but he did n’t have the velocity [and] he didn’t spot the ball as well.” For the Aggies, struggling in the third game of a series is becoming a habit the team would like to break. “It has come that way for all three series (Baylor, Missouri, and Okla homa State),” Johnson said. “We come down to the last ball game and we’re in it at the end, and it's just tak en away from us. It's frustrating, and for young people especially, their re solve is going to be challenged.” Stephens, one of A&M’s team captains, agreed. “It makes it tough because we’ve been in all the ballgames,” Stephens said. “Against Baylor, we had the Tim Moog, The Battalion OSU senior first baseman Jamey Wood tries to prevent A&M senior Jason Stephens from stealing second at Olsen Field Sunday. third ball game won, against Mis souri we were tied, and the same thing today. We just haven’t found the answer to get things done.” The Aggies split the first two games, picking up a win Friday, but losing the second. Junior Ryan Rupe went 6-1/3 in nings giving up three runs in six hits while striking out nine as the Aggies beat OSU 8-4. Sophomore Steve Leonard went three-for-four with an RBI and senior Johnny Hunter added two RBIs to pace A&M’s offense. Saturday night, the Aggies had no answers for OSU freshman pitcher Thom Drier who held them to three runs on four hits in six and two-thirds innings. Guiel went four- for-six with a home run and two RBIs as OSU won 9-3. A&M comes out of the weekend series, which was supposed to be a battle of the two teams expected to compete for the Big 12 title, trying to get back to where they need to be. “We’ve got a sour taste in our mouths right now,” Stephens said. “We know we’re a better ball club than what we’re showing. Hopeful ly we can get some more wins un der our belt and make a run at the conference tournament.” March Madness has narrowed to Sweet Sixteen Pac-10 teams lead way into third round of NCAA Tournament Texas slides by Coppin State, 82-81 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Reggie Freeman scored 22 points and Texas stole an inbounds pass with four seconds left as the Longhorns with stood Coppin State’s scrambling guards and held on for an 82-81 win Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns, ad vancing to the final 16 for the first time in seven years, sur vived a close call against the Eagles, who were bidding to be come the first No. 15 seed to move into the Sweet Sixteen. With the Longhorns holding a one-point lead, Dejuan Vazquez stole an inbound pass from Fred Warrick with four seconds left to preserve the win. Warrick had just replaced Coppin State star Terquin Mott, who fouled out. Freeman, who had 31 points in a first-round win over Wisconsin in the East Re gional, shot only 35 per cent, but scored 17 of his points in the second half for the lOth-seeded Longhorns, the only team with 16 regular-sea son wins to get an at-large bid. Texas, which reached the re gional finals in 1990 and then lost to Arkansas, plays Louisville on Fri day in Syracuse, N.Y. See Longhorns, Page 10 (AP) — Two rounds are complete in the NCAA tournament and so far the Pac-10 con ference and the selection committee are perfect. Four of the tournament’s final 16 teams are Pac-10 partners with one in each of the tourna ment’s regions. Stanford made it a clean sweep for the con ference, eliminating Wake Forest 72-66 in the West Regional on Sun day and joining Ari zona, UCLA and Cali fornia who all had advanced earlier. “For a long time, a lot of people have been down on the Pac-10 and said we couldn’t win big games,” Stanford’s Brevin Knight said. “And we’re showing we deserve the number of teams we got in.” As for the tournament committee, it came through the first weekend with its four top seeds intact. Minnesota completed that sweep Sun day, ripping Temple 76-57 in the Midwest Re gional and joining North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky in the next round. In Sunday's other games, it was Louisville 64, New Mexico 63 and Texas 82, Coppin State 81 in the East; Providence 98, Duke 87 andTennessee- Chattanooga 75, Illinois 63 in the Southeast; Clemson 65, Tulsa 59 in the Midwest; and Utah 77, North Carolina Charlotte 58 in the West. Providence 98, Duke 87 Derek Brown scored a career-high 33 points, making 12 of 16 field-goal attempts and Austin Croshere added 21 points for the lOth-seeded Friars (23-11), who outrebounded No. 2 seed Duke 43-24. Croshere played in foul trouble most of the day. But it was his 14-footer with just over five minutes to play that broke a 74-74 tie and trig gered an 11-1 Providence run. Jeff Capel closed his career with 26 points, in cluding 19 in the second half for Duke (24-9). Tennessee-Chattanooga 75, Illinois 63 The 14th-seeded Mocs knocked off another higher seed, ousting No. 6 Illinois after stunning No. 3 Georgia in the first round. UTC (24-10) held Illinois to one basket in the final 10:09 and advanced to the round of 16 for the first time. See Madness, Page 10 if in Afj£j u tanner 725B University Drive FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 16-20 TICKETS GO ON SALE SUNDAY 4-5 PM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PHYS 201 PHYS 202 CHEM 102 CHEM 102 Soriaga 5-7 PM 7-9 PM 9-11 PM 11PM- 1AM MON Mar 17 CH 8 CH 31 CH 18A CH 18&19 TUBS Mar 18 CH 9 CH 32 CH 18B CH 19 WED- Mar 19 CH 9&10 CH 33 CH 19 CH 20 THUR Mar 20 CH 11 CH 34&35 PRAC TEST Dr. Kennicutt PRAC TEST Dr. Soriaga CHEM 107 Dr. Haw SUN Mar 16 7-10 PM Practice Exams Test #2 MON Mar 17 TUBS Mar 18 WED Mar 19 MATH 6-9 PART PART PART 151 PM 1 II III MATH 9-12 PART PART PART 151 PM 1 II III IT’S COMING! Z nd Annual TUG OF HONOR "rfftlr TRIMJ Non-Reg vs Corps Tug of War & BBQ Sunday, March 23 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Duncan Field (behind Duncan Dining Center) Be sure and validate your ID at one of the dining halls the week before or pay a $5.50 fee for BBQ hades ^]5f Summer SUMMER SESSION 1997 This summer, attend Colorado State University and earn credits during our 4-, 8-, or 12-week terms. Courses begin May 19, June 16, and July 14. No formal admission requirements. Call 1-800-854-6456 for a free Summer Class Schedule do University PROFITABLE NUMBER! 845-0569 The Battalion Classified Advertising