Monday, May 28, 2001
Page 3
day 28,2001
LUTE
IVOT S£
no/O- ^
kuaJt.
i rz&L m
Adrian
e Employee
ECC).
ci pants
, its charity jj
formation
01 Campaign
Sports
THE BATTALION
Baseball team falls short in Big 12 tourney
FILE PHOTO/The Battalion
Second baseman Ty Garner applies the tag to Nebraska's John Cole as Shortstop Ryan
Wardinsky looks on during a game at Olsen Field this spring.
By Mark Passwaters
T/je Battalion
Entering die Phillips 66 Big 12 baseball tourna
ment in Oklahoma City, the Texas A&M baseball
team would need to win the tournament’s champi
onship or a miracle to advance into the NCAA tour
nament. It got neidier but came painfully close in ad
vancing to the Championship Game against top seed
and No. 1 ranked Nebraska before being sent home.
Game 1: Texas A&M-9, Texas-8
The sixth-seeded Aggies were the surprise of the
tournament, and the surprises started before the first
pitch was thrown. A&M head coach Mark Johnson
decided to start freshman Kyle Parcus — who had
started only five games and no conference games —
against the third-seeded Longhorns and their ace
Gerrit Simpson, who had thrown 10 innings against
the Aggies in a 4-3 loss on May 4.
The ace on this day was Parcus, who held the
Longhorns scoreless for six innings while the Aggies
hammered Simpson in his less than three innings of
work. The Aggies grabbed a 1 -0 lead in the top of the
first when left fielder Neal Stephenson doubled home
designated hitter Eric Shindewolf on a shot to center
field that Texas center fielder Kalani Napoleon fell
down chasing after.
In the second, the Aggies looked like they were
prepared to let another scoring opportunity slip away
when catcher Rusty Meyer lined into a double play
after the first two hitters had singled. Third baseman
Greg Porter poppied to short left field, but left field
er Ben King and shortstop Eddie Romprey watched
it fall between them, letting A&M shortstop Ryan
Wardinsky score from second. An flustered Simpson
then made a mistake to center fielder David Evans,
who launched a hanging slider into the left field
bullpen. “[Simpson] threw the same pitch right be
fore,” Evans said. “I knew something was up. I made
him pay.”
The Aggies were able to stretch their lead to 5-0
after Schindewolf singled, was balked to second and
first baseman Jeff Freeman hit a ball to left that King
misplayed, allowing Schindewolf to score.
The Aggies chased Simpson in the third after
right fielder Ben Himes singled, scoring second
baseman Ty Garner. The Longhorns turned to
freshman Eugene Espeneli, who gave up three un
earned runs in the fifth to make the score 9-0. At this
point, closer Chris Russ began throwing in the Ag-
i gie bullpen. “I figured we would (10) run rule them,
and I wanted to get a quick bullpen (session) in,”
; Russ said after the game.
Russ would quickly find himself on the field instead
of the bullpen, as the Longhorn bats came to life in
the seventh. A tiring Parcus and freshman Robert
Ramsey gave up eight runs while getting only two
outs. “I was going crazy in the outfield,” Himes said.
Russ came in with the bases loaded, struck out
Longhorn second baseman Tim Moss to end die in
ning and did not allow a base runner for the next two
innings. “Chris Russ did what he’s done for four
years,” Johnson said. “He shut the, door.”
Game 2: Texas A&M-8, Texas Tech-6
The Aggies next faced a Texas Tech team that had
swept them in Lubbock and had already crushed Ok
lahoma, 17-5. Instead of collapsing under the weight
of the Red Raiders’ heavy-hitting lineup, the Aggies
hit right back
For the second straight day, the Aggies scored first.
Evans doubled to start the bottom of the first, and was
driven home when Shindewolf also doubled. The Ag
gies touched Tech starter Chris Phillips for another
run in the second on Meyer’s homer down the left
field line.
Tech took a 3-2 lead in the third on a diree-run
homer by left fielder Jason Rainey. After giving up an
other run in the fourth, Johnson relieved starter Justin
Moore with Steven Ponder, who shut down die Red
Raider offense. For the next three innings, Ponder
gave up only one hit while striking out five, walking
three and hitting two batters.
While Ponder held Tech in check, the Aggies tied
the game in die fifth and took the lead in the sixth
when Meyer hit a sacrifice fly that scored second
baseman Gamer, who had led off the inning widi a
double. Texas A&M broke the game open in die sev
enth, scoring four runs off of Phillips and two reliev
ers, all with two outs.
Texas Tech rallied for two runs in the eighth, but
Johnson once again turned to Russ, who retired each
of the four batters he faced.
After the game, Tech coach Larry Hays praised the
performance of Ponder and Russ, saying, “They did
a good job... they made some pitches and froze us bit.
With their velocity and stuff, that’s an adventure.”
Johnson called the seventh inning rally “huge ... Sit
uational hitting has been our nemesis.”
Game 3: Texas A&M-10, Oklahoma-1
The Aggies got a surprise Saturday when it became
clear die Oklahoma Sooners would be the opponent
in between them and a chance at a tournament tide.
OU had defeated Texas and Texas Tech on back-to-
back days.
The Aggies had a surprise of their own in starting
freshman left hander Chris French, a move that had
Oklahoma coach Larry Cochell juggling his lineup
15 minutes before the game. Cochell started junior
Austin Mix, who had pitched four innings of relief
against Texas two days before. Johnson hoped that
French would cause trouble with Oklahoma’s most
ly left-handed lineup; Cochell hoped that Mix would
have enough left to keep the game close.
Johnson’s gamble worked. Cochell’s did not.
“It was a heck of a ballgame in die first, second,
fourth, fifth, sixdi, seventh, eighth and ninth innings,”
Cochell said.
He left out the third inning, and with good reason.
That was when every member of die A&M starting
lineup scored a run before diere was an out. Evans
started the festivities with his second homer of the
tournament, but die trouble was just beginning for
Mix. He faced another five batters without retiring
any before being pulled with the bases loaded in la-
vor of Michael Bradbury. Bradbury’s first pitch be
came a three-run double by Himes. Bradbury could
not get out aiiy of the diree Aggjes he faced, leaving
Brandon Hanlons to end the carnage. After the nine-
run, 10-hit barrage, the game was effectively over, as
the Sooners could not find an answer for French.
French dominated Oklahoma for eight innings be
fore finally running out of gas. “I didn’t think I would
go diat far,” French said, “but I really wanted to fin
ish it out. I knew I needed to get out, but diat’s all
right.”
Johnson was effusive in his praise for French.
“Chris French stepped right out and gave us a big
jolt,” Johnson said.
When asked about playing in the championship
game, Neal Stephenson said the team’s feeling was
“confidence, that’s for sure ... the baseball gods are
watching us.”
Championship Game: Nebraska-7, Texas
A&M-4
Texas A&M’s run to Sunday’s championship game
made them the Cinderella of the tournament.
The Nebraska Comhuskers do not like fairy tales.
Led by Tournament MVP Dan Johnson’s two
See Tournament on Page 6.
Lolds
ourt
/
D
R
... hits the right note for hundreds of satisfied customers
and businesses. Your ads pre-sale your customers
and bring them to your business ready to buy.
Tm BATTALION
Retail: 845-2696 Classified: 845-0569
WHERE THERE'S HURT
THERE'S HOPE
POST ABORTION PEER COUNSELING
♦ Peer Grief Counseling
♦ Help for Symptoms of Abortion Trauma
♦ 10-week Recovery Program
♦ Emotional & Spiritual Support
♦ Free & Confidential
Jlofie Pn&j*taHC4f, GetUend*
Call and ask for the PACE (Post Abortion
Counseling & Education) Director.
/IQnrO'l QQ 2 05 Brentwood • College Station
I JS <5 www.hopepregnancy.org
howdy.tamu.edu
uminal
A
STUDENT
COUNSELING
SERVICE
Texas A&M University
Groups
for
Summer
2001
at the
Student Counseling
Service
Part of the Division of Student Affairs
Henderson Hall
979/845-4427
www.scs.tamu.edu
Multicultural Issues & Relationships Group
Monday 5:00 - 6:30 PM
The purpose of this group is to increase awareness of mul
ticultural issues and improve communication and self-con
fidence when dealing with multicultural relationships.
Group topics may include, but are not limited to, cultural
shock; cultural religious, and social differences; and bi-cul-
tural/multicultural relationship issues. This is open to all
students.
Facilitators: Gisela Lin & Amanda Samson
Biofeedback Workshop
Mondays 5:00 - 6:30 PM
One-session workshops that give an introduction to relax
ation techniques, including how biofeedback aids in relax
ation. Individual follow-up consultation is available.
Facilitator: Steve Wilson
Interpersonal Growth & Exploration Group
Tuesday 3:00 - 4:30 PM
This psychotherapy group is for students who desire to live
more authentically with themselves and relate more gen
uinely with others. Group members will be helped to
explore self-limiting life patterns and share themselves with
others through honest self-disclosure in a safe, supportive
atmosphere.
Facilitators: Sarah Haley & Nancy Stebbins
Empowering Yourself Group
Wednesday 3:00 - 4:30 PM
A group for women and men with sexual molestation in
their pasts. Identifying and exploring aftereffects of abuse
will be the focus. Dealing with relationships, building self
esteem, and gaining power are emphasized.
Facilitators: Robert Carter & Nancy Welch
Non-Traditional Women’s Group
Wednesday 5:00 - 6:30 PM
This therapy group for women 23+allows each member to
enter the group with her own unique issues and share,
process and problem solve within a group context. This
group can help individuals who are wanting to develop
healthier ways of dealing with the stress of school and
work, relationships, personal problems and family issues.
When we begin to talk more honestly with others, we can
often find new ways to deal with the problems we face.
Facilitators: Amanda Samson & Cindy Peveto
Dissertation/Thesis Support Group
Wednesdays 5:00 - 6:30 PM
This group is for students who are struggling with the
process of writing a thesis or dissertation. Group topics
include issues of competence, procrastination, anxiety,
goal setting, and bureaucratic struggles.
Facilitator: Brian Williams
Texas A&M University has a strong institutional com
mitment to the principle of diversity in all areas. In
that spirit, admission to Texas A&M University and
any of its sponsored programs is open to all qualified
individuals without regard to any subgroup classifica
tion or stereotype.
Better Ingredients • Better Pizza
Monday Special
1 I Jl DTE 1 1T °pp in & pizza
li/iiiuL Every Monda y
Tuesday Special
#1 I A nrr 1 Topping Pizzas
Lunch or Dinner
no limit
Pick-up only
Pick-up or Deliver
IMorthgate Post Oak Square Center Bryan
601 University Dr. 100 Harvey Rd., Suite D 3414 East 29th St.
979-846-3600 979-764-7272 979-268-7272