ABILENE, Texas – James Rhodes threw a complete game and allowed just four runs as the Cameron Aggies (32-14) took advantage of eight hit batters and four walks to earn the 9-4 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma (30-17) on the second day of play at the 2011 Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship held at Crutcher Scott Field in Abilene.

The Aggies loaded the bases right off the bat as the first three CU batters reached with no outs, and Andrew Garcia drew a full count walk to rotate the runners and bring across the first run of the game.

Joe Halley then hit into a 4-6-3 double play but Chase Larsson scored from third to put the Ags up 2-0.

Aggie starter James Rhodes did not throw a ball in the first inning while the Ags managed to run the Storm’s starter up to over 30 pitches in the first inning.

Then in the second, with two outs, Larsson followed a pair of hit batsmen with a looping single to right field to drive in Kaleb Brawner from second making the score 3-0.

Kenny Held followed up with a single into the center field gap to drive in Larsson from third to make it 4-0 after two innings.

The Storm added three runs to draw the lead closer, but in the fifth, SE starter Dan McKinney hit two batters, his fourth and fifth hit batters of the night, to load the bases and was pulled from the game by coach Mike Metheny.

SE replaced McKinney with lefty Matt Lentz who promptly hit P.J. Ortega with his first pitch to drive in a run making it a 5-3 ball game, the third hit batsman in a row and second time in the game the Ags got a run by way of a hit batsman.

Lentz then walked the next batter, Taylor Lyons, in a still bases juiced situation making the score 6-3.

Josh Dawson posted two more runs with a single through the right side that rumbled around the feet of the left fielder to give CU an 8-3 lead.

The Aggies added another run in the sixth as Held got on with a leadoff double. Head Coach Todd Holland elected to play a little small ball to bring Held in, calling on Andrew Garcia to lay down the sacrifice bunt and Halley to get a sacrifice flyout to left field to push the lead to 9-3.

In the top of the eighth, Storm leadoff man Riley Keith homered to left field but that would end the scoring in the frame as the Cameron lead shrank to 9-4.

Rhodes, who improves to a perfect 7-0 on the season, entered the ninth and gutted out the inning, allowing just one base runner, for the complete game performance after throwing over 150 pitches. He allowed ten hits and four runs but struck out six batters en route to his third complete game of the season.

It is the second time in as many games that the Aggies have been able to get their starter to go the distance after Ricky Cramer threw a complete game yesterday in the 4-1 victory over Tarleton State.

The Aggies advance to take on regular season champion Incarnate Word tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Crutcher Scott Field in Abilene. Both teams enter the game 2-0 in the four-day tournament with the winner advancing to the championship game on Tuesday.