HoustonChronicle.com - A&M Consolidated swept out

A&M Consolidated swept out

By STEVEN THOMSON

Special to the Chronicle

The Woodlands got help from both sides against A&M Consolidated Friday, using six hits and five Tigers errors to finish off a sweep of the nation's top-ranked team with a 7-3 victory at Tomball.

Not even a rare triple play in the fifth inning could save the Tigers from elimination. Two Highlanders runners had reached base on errors before Consolidated shortstop Wade Michalsky made a shoestring catch of Danny Amendola's sinking liner, touched second and threw to first to end the frame.

That was one of the rare defensive bright spots for Consolidated, which gave up three unearned runs over the final three frames to allow The Woodlands to wrap up the victory and the series.

The Tigers, who finished the season at 28-3, did not help out with an abundance of walks as they did in Thursday's contest. Instead, it was clutch hitting by the Highlanders and untimely miscues in the field that did in Consolidated.

"We knew (Consolidated) was going to play hard, so we needed to make a statement early," Woodlands coach Ron Eastman said. "We did a real good job all night of staying focused. They really wanted this series, and they proved it."

The Highlanders' statement came in the form of four runs in the first two innings to take a 4-1 lead.

Elliott Roberts led off the first by drawing the only walk off Kyle Nicholson. The Tigers hurler got two fly ball outs before cleanup hitter Brad Depoy smacked a long home run into the tree beyond the left field fence.

Aaron Cook followed with a double and came in to score the third run of the inning on a single up the middle by Amendola.That three-spot erased a 1-0 lead that Consolidated had taken in the top of the inning.

"We knew they had a strong pitcher on the mound," Depoy said. "He hasn't had many starts this year, so we thought if we could get on him early, maybe we could rattle him. We got some runs early and that helped. We had enough to finish the game."

Bobby Bramhall scored the first Tigers run after leading off with a single, advancing to third when Kyle Nicholson reached on an error and coming across on Keith Stein's sacrifice fly.

The Woodlands added a fourth run in the second inning. Shea Robin singled to open the frame and moved up on a bunt sacrifice put down by David Macias. An infield single by Elliott Roberts moved Robin to third, where he scored on Jordan Roberts' ground out.

Consolidated gave The Woodlands some help in scoring the Highlanders' fifth run of the contest in the fourth inning. A fielding error and a blown bunt coverage placed Robin and Macias on base with no out. Both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Jordan Roberts brought in Robin with a sacrifice fly.