COLLEGE STATION, Texas – NM State's bats lit up the scoreboard, and sophomore righty Chris Barraza lit up the radar gun through the first five innings.

A five-run lead headed into the sixth, however, would not hold.

#20 Texas A&M (13-3) showed its might against NM State's bullpen, overcoming a 5-0 deficit with seven unanswered runs to defeat the Aggies (12-3), 7-5, Saturday night at Blue Bell Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Barraza was dominant through the first 5 1/3 innings, keeping Texas A&M's hitters off balance with his arsenal of pitches. He struck out four while lighting up the radar gun, consistently sitting in the mid-90s and hitting 96 miles per hour on at least two occasions. 

Sophomore infielder Austin Duffy, meanwhile, wasted no time powering NM State's offense. The Mesa, Ariz., native gave the Aggies a 2-0 second-inning lead with his two-run single through the left side.

With Barraza cruising on the mound, NM State broke out for three more runs in the top of the fifth. Doubles by junior Tommy Tabak and senior infielder Tristan Peterson drove in one apiece before redshirt senior catcher Jason Bush tacked on another with a fielder's choice.

Ahead 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Barraza retired the first batter of the inning before running into trouble. Texas A&M would knock the Tucson, Ariz., native out of the game after cutting its deficit to four, and the damage only continued from there.

Redshirt junior lefty Frank Dickson Jr. and redshirt senior lefty Alex Pinedo could not contain Texas A&M in relief, allowing the opposing Aggies to mount their late-game comeback with four runs in the bottom of the sixth and three more in the bottom of the seventh. 

After knocking out starter Christian Roa after 4 1/3 innings, NM State could get anything going against Texas A&M's bullpen. The Aggies were shutout across the final 4 2/3 frames of the ballgame en route to their 7-5 loss.

OF NOTE
Infielder Nick Gonzales drew two intentional walks to extend his on-base streak to a nation-leading 81 consecutive games. The junior's walk-to-strikeout ratio stands at 21-to-9 through the first 15 games of the season.

UP NEXT
The series between NM State and nationally ranked Texas A&M concludes tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for noon MT inside Blue Bell Park.

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