A&M takes a commanding 2-0 in regional play
An instant classic occurred at Olsen Field last night that had fans of both teams hanging on every pitch from the jump. After Texas starting pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr. made quick work of the A&M lineup in the first inning, the first pitch from A&M starter Ryan Prager was a loud home run to put the Horns up 1-0.
Prager settled in, going 6.1 innings while only allowing 4 hits and striking out 7. He gave up just one more run, another solo shot from Kyler Schuessler in the bottom of the 6th. Johnson Jr. settled in as well, allowing only 2 hits (one of them a solo homerun from Caden Sorrell) in 5 innings while striking out 8 batters.
In the top of the 8th, the Aggies caught a few breaks. An error from Texas SS Jalin Flores allowed Braden Montgomery as a leadoff baserunner. Two outs later, with Montgomery on 3rd, another error from Flores had the game tied 2-2. Texas was unable to respond and after an uneventful 9th inning, we headed to extras.
In the top of the 11th, Kaeden Kent got things going for the Aggies with a leadoff single. LaViolette and Appel both worked walks to load the bases for Ted Burton with two outs. Burton hit a roller up the third base line that looked like it might end up foul, but it bounced off bag and the Texas 3B was unable to make a play. 3-2 Ags. Texas pitcher Chase Lummus fired a wild pitch that allowed LaViolette to score, 4-2 Ags.
A&M had already turned the game over to their most trusted relief pitcher, Evan Aschenbeck, in the 7th inning. Aschenbeck battled to keep the Aggies in it through the extra innings, allowing 0 hits and only walking one batter. In the bottom of the 11th, the defense played well behind him and Gavin Grahovac fielded a ground ball and fired it over to Ted Burton for the final out.
It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Aggies showed a ton of grit to stay in the game, keep battling, and eventually pull off the victory. Texas is looking at a rematch with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns today at 2:00 p.m., A&M will face the winner tonight at 7. If A&M is able to win tonight, it would send the Aggies to the Super Regionals where they would host the winner of the Santa Barbera Regional.