The Battalion
PORTS
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Wednesday • April16,1il
Ags claw Cougars, 8-4
By Chris Ferrell
The Battalion
Excuse the 16th-ranked Houston
Cougars (25-13) if they were expect
ing Rod Serling to show up at Olsen
Field Tuesday night. From Houston’s
standpoint, the game resembled a
bad episode of the Twilight Zone as
they fell to the 15th-ranked Texas
A&M Baseball Team (31-15), 8-4.
Senior shortstop Rich Petru led
the Aggie offensive charge with
home runs in consecutive at-bats
in the second and third innings —
the second home run a grand slam.
Petru, who had only hit four home
runs this season going in to the
game, said he was in a groove.
“Tonight was just one of those
nights,” Petru said. “I was in the
zone. The ball looked like a bas
ketball coming in. I made an
adjustment yesterday in practice
and that played a big part in it.”
A&M Head Coach Mark
Johnson said Petru’s five-RBI
explosion was a key for the Aggies.
“He gets back-to-backers,”
Johnson said. “The grand slam
opens the gates for us.”
Anodier big part of the victory for
the Aggies was the sun. A five-
minute period during which the set
ting sun wrecked havoc with the
Houston outfielders’ vision allowed
A&M to capitalize in the third inning.
Cougar centerfielder Eric Lee lost
back-to-back hits by junior second
baseman Brian Benefield and fresh
man third baseman Sean Heaney in
the sun to set up Petru’s grand slam.
“There’s a five-minute slot there,
in every ballpark, where dusk hits
and it’s a little bit tougher to pick up
Robert McKay, The Battalion
Sophomore outfielder Jason Tyner slides into third base against
the University of Houston last night at Olsen Field.
the ball,” Johnson said. “And then I
think after he missed a couple,
things got a little bit shakier. When
we hit into dusk we tell our infield
ers be sure to let them (the outfield
ers) know where it’s at.”
Houston also had to be shaking
their heads when A&M freshman
pitcher Courtney Weller, one of the
staff’s few left handers, came in
and shut them down for the sec
ond time this season.
“I had a lot of luck against them
last time,” Weller said. “Last time I
pitched against them I had my
curveball working and was able to
get ahead of them. I was pitching
them backwards and they had a
little trouble with it.”
After replacing starter Steve
Scarborough in the second
inning, Weller threw six innings of
scoreless two-hit baseball.
“Courtney came in and stabi
lized things for me with his curve-
ball,” Johnson said. “He came in
and established it and he moving
himself right up the ladder. He was
impressive tonight.”
Weller said he is beginning to
gain confidence.
“Pitching is really all about con
fidence,” Weller said. “And I guess,
really last year and this year, I just
didn’t have it and now I’m pitching
like I’m in high school. I have that
confidence level back and that
helps a lot. It was a mental turn
around. I wasn’t liking where I was
going and I decided that I had to
do it, be real confident, and I kind
of got it done in Houston.”
The win also gives the Aggies an
impressive victory over a ranked
opponent, something Johnson said
would help come tournament time.
“That was a good one because
they were a ranked team and they
beat us before,” Johnson said.
Lady Ags sweep with two shutout
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Softball Team
(28-23) continued its current
hot streak, chopping down the
Lady Jacks of Stephen F Austin
University (16-32) by sweeping a
doubleheader 4-0, 7-0. The Lady
Aggies now have won six
straight games, the longest
streak of the season.
A&M dominated SFA, taking
advantage of the Lady Jacks’ gen
erous offerings. SFA committed
10 errors in the two games, lead
ing to five unearned runs.
A&M Head Coach Jo Evans
said the Lady Aggies capitalized
on SFA’s poor defense.
“We took advantage of their
mistakes and got the lead early,”
Evans said. “I thought we execut
ed well offensively and moved
the runners.”
In Game 1, senior pitcher Lori
Gioco (16-11) threw a complete
four-hit game shutout, striking
out three batters with no walks.
Gioco received all the run support
she would need in the bottom
half of the second inning. Senior
first baseman Mya Truelove sin
gled to lead off and advanced to
second base on catcher Marianne
McGuire’s sacrifice grounder to
third. Truelove then scored on a
throwing error by Lady Jack first
baseman Misty Longron.
The Lady Aggies padded the
lead with two runs in the third
inning on RBI singles by Truelove
and designated hitter Trina
Solesbee and Truelove and a final
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A&M freshman shortstop Jamie Smith snags the ball and tagsi
Stephen F. Austin runner last night at the Lady Aggie Softball Fie
run in the sixth inning on a single
by shortstop Jamie Smith.
Solesbee said the win helped
the Lady Aggies move closer to
their season goals.
“It’s a good step on the way to
where we need to be as a team,”
Solesbee said. “We’re improving
each game.”
Game 2 continued in much
the same fashion. Booted balls
by the Lady Jacks resulted in
three unearned runs.
Solesbee (10-7) started for
A&M, throwing a two-hit shutout
through five innings with two
strikeouts. Sophomore Kim Turner
closed out the final two innings,
allowing no runs on three hits.
Evans said she was not sur
prised with the bookendshutt
“I thought we could [get
shutouts]," Evans said,
pitchers have been throwing'
Lori is throwing well. Trinah
thrown in a few days, so ii
good to get her some inni!]
Kim (Turner) did a nice jot
coming in [to shut the door).'
A&M jumped out on tope;
with two runs in the bottom of
first. With runners on second:
third base and none out, juif;
outfielder Tanya Meeker scored:
a passed ball. Smith later scored
a single by catcher Amy Schmi'
The Lady Aggies playadt
bleheader against Sam Hoi
State University Thursday.
Cox
Continued from Page 7
Cox left Amarillo High School with two
All-State selections and two top three fin
ishes at the state tournament. Last sum
mer, he won four American Junior Golf
Association titles — more than any other
player. Also prior to this season, he was
named an honorable mention All-
American. Talent has never been an issue.
The issue, according to Ellis, has been his
mental approach to the game, something in
which Ellis has seen a major improvement.
“I saw in the last round at the Border
Olympics that Ty didn’t play well,” Ellis
said. “But he really stayed calm through
the round and wasn’t excited — excited
where he’s really irritated himself. He took
his mistakes better and was more tolerant.
“I think, hopefully, he’s turned the cor
ner as far as that’s concerned, mentally
and emotionally. Mechanically, he’s
always been good.”
At last weekend’s All-American
Intercollegiate in Houston, Cox proved he
was at the top of his game, mentally and
physically. Cox shot a 144 in two rounds to
tie for second place, his top college finish.
“I’ve been lacking confidence in myself
as far as my game goes,” Cox said. “I think
this finish will help me going into confer
ence. Hopefully, that will set me up for some
good tournaments for the rest of the year.”
Cox’s strong fundamentals began
forming at an early age. His father
Sherwin, a golf pro in Amarillo, started
his son on the game at an early age.
“Basically, I had a club in my hands
when I was able to pick it up,” Cox said. “He
(Sherwin) started me with fundamentals
and stuff at age three. I’ve been playing
competitive golf since I was 6 or 7. My dad’s
been a big influence on my golf game.”
This strong start, coupled with his tech
nique and body style, have allowed Cox to
become one of the nation’s longest hitters.
“I’m six-foot and kind of narrow,” Cox
said. “Body structure and hand technique
have a lot to do with it. Fundamentals
have a lot to do with it. Kind of like Tiger
(Woods). He’s slim and tall.”
As Cox continues to perform at a high
level, his goals continue to increase,
something which has not always sat well
with his opponents.
“I’m a person that expects a lot from
myself,” Cox said. “That can be good and
bad. I’ve always tried to place really high
goals for myself, both in life and on the
course. Sometimes my goals may come
off cocky to some people.”
Ellis said that cockiness can some
times be one of Cox’s greatest assets.
“If anybody is going to amount to any
thing, they have to think they’re pretty
good,” Ellis said. “Sometimes he gives the
appearance that he’s cocky and he gives
the appearance that he’s better than every
body else. I won’t argue that point — some
times he is that way — but he has some
thing to back it with. It isn’t just bravado.
“Cockiness isn’t something that I’m
opposed to. If a player doesn’t think he
can play, he isn’t going to play. If a player
thinks he can play and has a little cocki
ness about him, I’d much rather have a
player like that than someone who says,
‘Well, I’m not very good.’”
Cox’s high goals extend to the team as
well. He said the Aggies have big plans for
the rest of the season.
“I didn’t come to Texas A&M onlytcl
golf,” Cox said. “I came here forthetK
thought this was a team thathadact|
to go somewhere.
“I hope we haven’t peaked
we’re just getting warmed up. This*:
be a great time to peak. That’s ourgit
to win conference, to win regionalsif 1
get to nationals and play well
maybe win, but we have to take is |
step at a time.”
Cox said A&M’s recent finish te
the tone for the rest of the season
“I think the last tournamentinffej
is big for me and the team as farasit
dence goes,” he said. “Golf is af
confidence, and if you have effit®
you can accomplish a lot of things
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