After winning their first SEC series opener on Friday, March 31, the Aggies looked to secure their first SEC overall series win against Ole Miss on Saturday night.
With the game falling on April 1, many Aggie fans wished the final score was an elaborate April Fools Day prank, as A&M fell to Ole Miss 14-7. The Rebels continued their productive hitting as, in what has become a common theme this season for the Aggies, the A&M bullpen could not get the job done.
The Aggies’ offense got off to a quick start in the first two innings. To start the bottom of the first, junior SS Hunter Haas, junior DH Jack Moss and senior 2B Austin Bost all doubled in order to open the scoring for the Aggies 2-0.
The offense stayed hot in the next frame.
Junior 1B Ryan Targac and senior CF Jordan Thompson opened the second inning by drawing two consecutive walks, then stole second and third on a double steal to give A&M two runners in scoring position.
A freshman C Max Kaufer sacrifice fly gave the Aggies the lead back at 3-2, and Haas singled to bring the lead back to two.
In his third start of the season, and his second-consecutive weekend start, freshman LHP Justin Lamkin struggled. In three innings of work, the left-hander gave up six runs on six hits with four walks.
After a scoreless first frame, Lamkin gave up the lead on one pitch.
The Rebels – who came into the weekend tied for 24th in the country in home runs – hit three on Friday, and tacked on another in the top of the second inning, as Lamkin gave up a two-run shot to deep to left field to tie the game.
After another scoreless inning for the left-hander, trouble struck. A&M went up two runs in the bottom of the second. The Aggies lost their lead quickly in the fourth, as after an Ole Miss walk, double and a single drove home two Rebels.
After walking the next batter, Lamkin was replaced by freshman RHP Ty Sexton, but was still credited with two of the three more runs scored in the fourth.
It appeared as if the Aggies once again answered Ole Miss’ runs with their own in the bottom of the fourth, as Haas crushed a pitch to deep left field and was initially called a home run. After all of the umpires convened, however, the call was reversed and called a foul ball.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “The home plate umpire specifically saw it definitely foul, I can live with that. I don’t think the other two guys should have a vote. There’s no chance you can see that from second base or first base.”
After the one run in the bottom of the fifth, A&M only scored two in the bottom of the ninth when the game was already well out of hand.
“We had more hits than they did,” Schlossnagle said. “We didn’t make any errors.”
The A&M bullpen did not perform much better, as Sexton, junior LHP Brandyn Garcia and sophomore RHP Chris Cortez accounted for eight runs on four hits in relief. In total, the Aggie pitching staff issued 13 free bases.
“We gave up eight runs with two outs,” Schlossnagle said. “Two times we had two outs and nobody on base, and we put three guys on for free. I don’t even know what to say to that. The only way to coach that is to get different players, and we can’t do that this year.”
A&M will try to secure the series tomorrow in the rubber match on Sunday, April 2, at 1 p.m.