Texas A&M baseball came into its first game of March as winners in three of its last four matchups including wins over Baylor and Oklahoma, logging 20 runs to its opponents’ four. The three-game win streak was the team’s best this season, and on Tuesday the Aggies looked to start a new win streak.
Houston Baptist has failed to beat the Aggies in nine consecutive games starting in 2012 when the two programs faced each other for the first time. Historically, A&M averages over six runs against the Huskies and with the maroon and white on an offensive hot streak the bats were expected to be a big aspect of Tuesday night’s ballgame.
The Aggies didn’t quite hit the six-run mark on Tuesday, but they still managed to extend their win streak over Houston Baptist with a 4-0 win.
Right away the Aggies found the scoreboard when Austin Bost doubled home Bryce Blaum with two outs in the first inning to give A&M starting pitcher Nathan Dettmer some early breathing room.
“As a pitcher, it helps so much knowing that you have a little bit of insurance,” Dettmer said. “Pitching with a lead is much easier than having to battle zeros. That first inning was big and made me be able to breathe to become more comfortable.”
Bost kept up the pace in the fourth frame with a solo home run to pair with a Logan Britt two-run home run, giving the Aggies a 4-0 lead heading into the middle innings.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Dettmer, a San Antonio native, was lights out for the maroon and white as he kept the Huskies off-balance with a steady diet of fastballs and off-speed pitches. Through six scoreless innings pitched he allowed only three hits, walked just one person and struck out seven Huskies on 90 pitches.
A&M coach Rob Childress raved about Dettmer’s midweek performance.
“I thought he was fantastic, built off his start from last week,” said Childress. “[I] took him out after three last week, saved him for the weekend. But the more I look at it, the more he needs to be a starter.”
Chandler Jozwiak entered the game in the seventh frame as one of Childress’ best strikeout arms so far this year. The junior southpaw came into Tuesday’s game with 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings. In three innings of work he allowed two hits and struck out seven of his own, which brought the A&M pitching staff’s final strikeout total to 14 on the night.
Other than the first and fourth innings, A&M’s offense was held in check pretty well by Houston Baptist’s Jared Burch who threw two scoreless relief innings. Brendon Bales and Blake Bolgiano each threw one scoreless relief inning as well.
But Jozwiak worked around an error that put Huskies on second and third with one out by striking out back-to-back batters to end the game and preserve the 4-0 shutout.
“Chandler Jozwiak came in and got the three-inning save and was equally effective,” Childress said. “Very proud of our pitching.”
The Aggies will look to jump on the win train and stay on Wednesday against Incarnate Word as the Cardinals come to College Station down 4-1 in the all-time series against A&M. A little over a year ago the Aggies shut them out 4-0. First pitch is set for 6:32 p.m. from Blue Bell Park at Olsen Field.