After a weekend of struggles at the plate, Texas A&M baseball’s offense came to life against a struggling Houston Christian University team at Olsen Field on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
A&M’s matchup against HCU has been an annual affair since 2012, and with Tuesday’s game, the maroon and white maintained a perfect 13-0 record against the visiting team. The Huskies, facing a winless 0-7 record, were unable to claim their first victory of the season when faced with the Fightin’ Farmers’ red-hot offense.
Led by junior pitcher Wyatt Tucker starting on the mound, the Aggies looked to rebuild their momentum and conclude their eight game homestand with a win during their midweek game against HCU.
“We knew we were struggling, trying to find ourselves,” senior second baseman Austin Bost said. “But we weren’t nervous … we knew we just had to trust the process and we knew good things were coming.”
The first frame saw 11 batters from the home team, highlighted by a double from junior first baseman Jack Moss and junior third baseman Trevor Werner reaching second on a dropped third pitch error after striking out.
Included in the scoring frenzy was Bost, who scored Moss and Werner on a double to left field. With his hit, he was able to knock in his 100th career RBI, a feat last achieved by Will Frizzell in 2021.
“It was a load of fun,” Bost said. “Being able to come out here and have fun … that’s the big thing.”
After scoring 6 runs in the first inning, the Aggies decided to tack on two more in the second with a lead-off home run from Werner and a single from freshman left fielder Kaeden Kent to send Bost home from third base. After two, A&M led the game with a score of 8-0.
In the third inning, a single from junior designated hitter Ryan Targac scored two more runs, and a bases loaded walk scored freshman right fielder Jace LaViolette.
Once again, A&M went back to work offensively in the fourth frame. Highlighted with a grand slam from Bost and a two-run home run from junior catcher Hank Bard, the Fightin’ Farmers brought 13 batters to the plate and scored 9 more runs, making the score 20-0 respectively.
“I’m usually pretty patient, but I knew if he was going to try to give me a fastball, I was going to be ready for it,” Bost said. “And that’s what it was — a little fastball, middle-in — and I put a good swing on it.”
A sixth inning maroon and white charge led by singles from junior infielders Stanley Tucker and Travis Chestnut scored Moss and Werner once more. A double from Kent then made the score 23-0.
Werner’s trip around the diamond was his fifth of the night — and he became the first Aggie to score five runs in a single game since 2020.
“They got a lot of free bases today, but they also put a lot of good swings on balls,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “We got results, and sometimes that’s the kind of game that can get you jump started.”
Despite their offensive successes against HCU, the slew of pitching changes for the Aggies showcased the team’s struggling bullpen. After Tucker ran into trouble finding the strike zone, he was replaced in the second inning by freshman pitcher Ty Sexton.
“We didn’t throw strikes,” Schlossnagle said. “Our first couple pitchers gave up a lot of free bases, but I thought we were really good out of the bullpen.”
After loading the bases in the third, Sexton was replaced at the mound by senior pitcher Matt Dillard, who finished the inning before being relieved by freshman Justin Lamkin in the top of the fourth. The fifth inning saw senior pitcher Carson Lambert, before he was taken out of the game in the sixth in favor of junior Brandyn Garcia.
Junior pitcher Will Johnston took the mound in the seventh inning, shutting down the Huskies’ offense to finish the game.
“It was great to see Garcia fill up the strike zone — Johnston, Lambert, Lamkin,” Schlossnagle said. “And we played — knock on wood — really good defense again.”
While a run-rule win does not erase the series loss the Aggies faced last weekend, the aggressive plate appearances, hard hit balls and defensive savvy made the team feel like things were finally clicking, Bost said.
“When we’re at our best, that’s who we are,” Schlossnagle said.
The Aggies will take a road trip to Houston this weekend for the Shriners Children’s College Classic before returning back to Olsen Field for another mid-week matchup, this time facing off against the University of the Incarnate World on Tuesday, March 7, at 6 p.m.