Logan Taylor and Blake Allemand accounted for all three scores to erase two deficits and scrape out a 3-2 small ball styled victory over Abilene Christian.
The bullpens of both squads amassed top-notch performances, and the Aggie bats were cold for the most part all evening. However, Taylor and Allemand combined 6-for-8 to make up for only two other hits from the team.
The Aggies (34-3) took the lead in the seventh inning and never looked back once Taylor brought in Allemand after a hit to right. Allemand doubled earlier to right center, and headed to third to load the corners after Mitchell Nau reached first on fielder’s choice.
“You look at their past, they’ve lost a lot of one-run games to some good teams and we knew this would be a fight,” Allemand said. “Every game is a fight, it’s not the best team that wins it’s the team that plays the best. So, we had to come up and play our best baseball to be able to get out of here with a win. We kind of started off slow but we were able to make plays at the end and that’s what winning teams do so we were fortunate to get out here with a win.”
ACU (8-26) took first advantage after loading the bases and Marcelle Carter was walked on a full count. Fans were not elated, as the previous batter, Russell Crippen, was called for being hit by the pitch, which was ultimately decided by a meeting between the umpires.
The Aggies evened the score in the bottom of the inning. Nau reached first base off a walk, and Taylor stepped up to the plate and drove a pitch to right center, bringing in Nau for the game’s lone RBI.
The third inning was more of the same, as both teams tallied another run onto the scoreboard. The Wildcats did it through leadoff hitter Aaron Draper, who started the inning with a single to center. A sacrifice bunt and a groundout moved him to third, and the duo of Draper and Crippen coordinated steals that were successful, putting the Wildcats up 2-1. Allemand, who’s A&M’s leadoff hitter, similarly reached first on a single and weaved his way to third on a steal and groundout. Eventually, Allemand tied the game by reaching home after a wild pitch.
Turner Larkins pitched the first four innings, and accumulated two strikeouts while only allowing three hits. Kyle Simonds carried the workload after Larkins, coming in during the fifth and pitching two hitless innings. Despite starting the inning allowing a base hit, Mark Ecker came onto finish it in the ninth to keep A&M perfect in weekday games.
Aggie head coach Childress said the bullpen and all-around defensive play helped his mistakes.
“The bullpen did an outstanding job and we played great defense,” coach Childress said. “Great defense, and it gave us a chance to win the game tonight. They score one in the first and we’re not real sharp on the mound and they score in the third inning and that one’s on me…Our guys picked me up tonight and I really appreciated that.”
The Aggies will stay at home for an SEC weekend series against Arkansas, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
“I expect a war [with Arkansas],” coach Childress said. “Their offense is very similar to ours and they’ve got a lot of experience and a lot of SEC at bats back. They’re playing really well and kind of found a Sunday starter and he threw a complete game at Kentucky last week. Their two front guys are outstanding…and their offense is going to be a challenge for our pitching staff.”