HUNTSVILLE -- The fans at Sunday's game between the Bulldogs and Jackson State were treated to a matchup of two of the top pitchers in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
A&M's Brandon Marsonek and Miguel Yrigoyen of Jackson State kept batters off-balance and the opposition off the scoreboard for the first six innings of the game.
For Marsonek, the NCAA leader in mound appearances and innings pitched, this was just his third start of the season in his 23 appearances.
But he every bit showed the stamina of a starter as he threw a solid six innings before getting into some trouble in the seventh - his final inning.
He escaped a bases-loaded jam early on, too.
In the third inning, with two outs, he walked three straight JSU batters but got a strikeout to end the Tigers' threat.
After that, he cruised until the seventh inning when four walks and two hits would result in four Jackson State runs for a 4-0 lead.
Marsonek finished the game with five strikeouts for a league-leading total of 70.
The Tigers scored five more in the eighth inning to widen their lead to 9-0.
The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the eighth when, with one out, Caleb Gay doubled down the rightfield line to score Cornelious Woods and Carlton Peppers, who had opened the inning with back-to-back singles.
Gay's double was his first hit of the season in nine at-bats. He is the regular starting pitcher on Fridays and this was his third game at second base.
The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday at Samford on Tuesday and at Belmont on Wednesday.
They will travel to Birmingham to take on Alabama State in the Magic City Diamond Classic on Friday and return home to host the Hornets Saturday and Sunday.Â
