Texas A&M baseball entered Friday’s game on a torrid offensive, defensive and pitching streak. Over their last five games, the Aggies’ pitching staff and defense hadn’t allowed more than two runs per game while the offense averaged nine runs per game.
All sides of the maroon and white flexed their muscles tonight in a 10-1 game one win. The offense’s 10 runs came on 10 hits, three home runs, nine RBIs and three walks. The pitching staff, led by junior Dustin Saenz, allowed five hits, walked two and struck out 15.
Action began in the second inning when Mikey Hoehner singled home Bryce Blaum for A&M’s first run of the night. An Austin Bost solo-home run in the next frame represented the Aggies’ second run.
Saenz and Samford starting pitcher Samuel Strickland found their rhythms in the fourth and fifth innings as neither team scored. But in the sixth inning, the Aggies managed to double their lead over Samford and make it 4-0 thanks to Bost’s second solo shot of the night and an unearned run when freshman Logan Britt scored on a throwing error by the Bulldogs’ shortstop.
Will Frizzell added onto the A&M lead after the seventh inning stretch with a solo home run of his own to give the Aggies a commanding 5-0 lead with the game coming down to the last two innings. It was the first baseman’s sixth home run of the year and his second in as many games.
The offense continued to perform well in the eighth inning when A&M once again doubled its own lead to 10-0. Blaum started this scoring with an RBI single, followed up by a RBI walk from Hoehner. Ray Alejo brought home two Aggies with a single, and Austin Bost recorded his third hit and third RBI when he brought home Hoehner who represented A&M’s tenth and final run of the evening.
Boat said getting to Samford’s bullpen was the turning point for the A&M offense that was able to string together quality at-bats late in the game.
“The scouting report said they had a young bullpen and they brought in a freshman right after [Strickland] and we just kept pounding and finally got Strickland out of there,” Bost said. “Then in the six, seventh and eighth [innings] we made it hurt on them.”
A&M’s starting pitcher Saenz recorded eight shutout innings and the win, allowing just four hits and walking just one batter while striking out 14 on 113 pitches in his best performance in maroon and white. Graduate transfer Chris Farrell cleaned things up in the ninth, striking out one while allowing one unearned run in his second appearance of the season.
Childress said Saenz has matured over his three years in College Station and his mental toughness has sharpened on the mound this season.
“Certainly he’s more comfortable on the mound in this environment,” Childress said. “He’s the same talent as he was a freshman, he’s just made a decision to be on a mission of excellence in everything he does on and off the field.”
Saenz said his fastball has been the X factor for him this season and trusting in his coaches as well as his natural ability have made him a better pitcher.
“Establishing the fastball command [has been big this season] and trusting my stuff that I came here with,” Saenz said. “Just trusting in myself and doing what i’m told has worked perfectly so far.”
The Aggies will go for the series win on Saturday in doubleheader action. Game 2 will be played at 1 p.m. and Game 3 is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.