After a bitterly cold 6-1 victory Friday night, Texas A&M baseball weathered a nearly hour-and-a-half delay as it took its second series victory of the year by way of a 4-3 win over Cal Poly.
A hot start came at the hands of junior left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin, who struck out the first batter he faced, while a pair of groundouts brought a swift end to the top of the first inning for the Maroon and White defense.
The Aggie offense then faced sophomore LHP Josh Volmerding, whose 13.50 ERA signaled possible easy pickings for an experienced top of the batting order. However, this would not be the case, as Volmerding faced the minimum and kept the first inning scoreless.
The second inning brought a welcome surprise for the A&M pitching staff that only recorded three strikeouts in Friday night’s victory, as Lamkin appeared to find an early groove in his second start of the season. Striking out two batters and again facing the minimum, the Corpus Christi native did not allow a single base runner until the third inning.
The Fightin’ Farmers got their first base runner thanks to a one-out walk issued to redshirt sophomore infielder Blake Binderup, ushering in junior shortstop Kaeden Kent to try to put the Aggies on the board. A groundout to shallow right field would doom that prospect, keeping zeroes across the board going into the third.
With a light drizzle beginning to fall, Lamkin recorded his fourth strikeout, followed by his first allowed hit into right field to get Cal Poly on base. Things did not get any easier for the lefty, as a walk and an error in the infield dirt allowed the Mustangs to take the first lead of the contest on the back of an unearned run.
Playing from behind and now looking for a timely response, the Aggies looked to combat Volmerding’s efficiency with a new face in the starting batting order: junior outfielder Jamal George. The Puerto Rican quickster made it on base thanks to a walk, as did sophomore catcher Bear Harrison.
Now with two on base and no outs, star sophomore INF Gavin Grahovac attempted to put coach Mike Earley’s crew in front. While Grahovac did not score in his at-bat thanks to a fielder’s choice, he did manage to reach first and advance George to third. The Aggies would leave their runners stranded on base, leaving their comeback to later innings.
The Mustangs looked to pad their lead with a no-out single into left field followed by a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner. Pushing further with a deep flyout to right field, the threat was contained by a groundout as the top of the fourth came to a close.
A&M’s offensive woes continued until senior OF Gavin Kash’s two-out single gave Kent a chance to redeem himself from his third-inning groundout. Instead, more of the same problems ensued with a similar grounder to second base play ending the fourth inning as it had the third.
Lamkin and the Aggie defense made quick work of the first two batters they faced in the fifth until a walk and quick mound visit prolonged what might have been a 1-2-3 inning. A stolen base by freshman INF Dante Vachini put a runner in scoring position, though an exchange from Kent to Binderup made sure the Mustangs lead stayed at one.
A&M required assistance from its heavies as another inning’s fate hung in the balance with two outs. Instead, it was a second strikeout for Grahovac and a fifth scoreless inning was dealt by Volmerding.
Drizzle became heavy rain at Olsen Field, a challenge adding to the hole the Maroon and White found themselves in. The response in-store was a slippery but scoreless four-batter inning, giving hope for the Aggies’ best to seize the lead.
Such hope was cashed in on Volmerding’s 100th pitch as graduate INF Wyatt Henseler was finally able to break through with a double slipping down the foul line in fair territory. Desperate to regain control of the game, Binderup played hero with his two-out double, scoring Henseler and bringing an end to Volmerding’s 111-pitch reign.
“Credit to their starter, he was awesome,” Earley said. “He sunk four great pitches. He was really really good, and he was giving lefties fits all game. I’m very impressed on what he did.”
The sixth inning saw a new face on the mound for A&M in sophomore LHP Kaiden Wilson. His first pitch hit a batter and the next man up was able to get a knock into shallow left field. A mound visit settled things down for the Missouri native temporarily, though a four-pitch walk loaded the bases and ended Wilson’s outing as quickly as it began.
Next in line was sophomore right-handed pitcher Clayton Freshcorn, thrust into a daunting situation that required nerves of steel. A sacrifice fly was a necessary evil to get a second out, and with a grounder to close the inning, the Aggie offense needed yet another spark to regain the lead, now trailing 2-1.
“I was happy to get somewhat of a quick inning, it was all about pounding the zone,” Freshcorn said. “Obviously we have to work every day, but it’s great to have a staff that helps hold us to a high standard.”
Kent’s rightfield single was the kindling to George’s torching double deep into left center field, scoring his predecessor and making it a tied game at two runs a piece. Freshman INF Sawyer Farr was subsequently hit by a pitch in his pinch-hitting performance, giving the Aggies two aboard with no outs.
Grahovac took kindly to the opportunity to right some early inning wrongs as he slammed a deep left field double all the way to the warning track. The running pair of George and Farr crossed safely to home plate, giving A&M the 4-2 advantage.
Cal Poly said goodbye to redshirt senior LHP Jake Torres’s relief efforts and rebounded by striking out junior OF Jace Laviolette for the third time, rendering him hitless through Saturday’s contest.
Freshcorn farmed out a quick first two outs against the Mustang batting order until senior OF Casey Murray Jr. broke through with a double to right field, eager to make something happen for his Mustang squad. But the dream faltered when the next man up knocked the ball straight into Freshcorn’s glove, closing the top of the eighth.
The bottom of the eighth wouldn’t arrive until almost an hour-and-a-half later due to a lightning delay. Kash’s walk ended the long hiatus, as freshman OF Terrence Kiel II came in to pinch run in Kash’s stead. Kiel would be caught stealing however and Kent’s strikeout brought the conclusion of the eighth.
Charged with closing the four-and-a-half-hour game was senior RHP Josh Stewart, getting his first action of the season. The Georgetown native gave up a hit to center field as well as a wild pitch to advance freshman INF Nate Castellon. Due to a possible injury, Stewart exited the game, and redshirt sophomore RHP Luke Jackson was tapped to capture the series for the Aggies.
Jackson took care of business against his first batter, inheriting Stewart’s count and striking out his foe while a quick play from Henseler to Binderup retired the next man up. An error by missing a tag on first base brought a runner home from the Mustangs, but a flyout ensured A&M did not have to take the field in the bottom of the ninth.
The Aggies look to sweep the Mustangs in the final game of the series on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m.
