Following a 5-3 loss to start the series, Texas A&M baseball came up short in a ninth-inning comeback attempt in a 3-1 loss to No. 22 Vanderbilt on Friday night amid stellar pitching and cold bats.
The perpetual woes that have lingered over A&M’s 2025 season can be characterized by a lack of hits and disarray in fielding — a pair of troubles that hung over the Aggies’ comeback bid in Friday night’s defeat. Saturday’s contest, however, showed promise of rebounding from the issues, as hits were found quickly in the first inning, and a 1-2-3 inning followed on defense.
The continued absence of sophomore outfielder Caden Sorrell has caused many lineup shifts, putting transfers and freshmen alike in the spotlight, daring them to emerge as the next big thing for the Maroon and White. Look no further than junior second basemanBen Royo, who has shown his ability to field improbable balls with ease, and the recent awakening of sophomore catcher Bear Harrison whose second-inning home run is his third in as many games.
The Aggies have grown to rely on junior left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin and their starting weekend pitching trio to contain the offense firepower of their opponent, with Saturday’s contest being no different. The Corpus Christi native has made a name for himself by pitching through traffic and taking advantage of a sharpened Aggie defense to strand base runners, a feat he pulled off once again as he only surrendered one hit all game.
Vanderbilt, however, was adamant about making their presence known on the mound. The Aggies had swept coach Tim Corbin’s squad in the previous season, and the Commodores wanted to return the favor against a reshaped Maroon and White lineup. Such a challenge was made difficult by Lamkin’s commanding four perfect innings and four strikeouts, though a late-inning charge was brewing as his night continued.
The story of hits without runs has created numerous what-could-have-been games for the Fightin’ Farmers, a trend that was sought to be put to rest against Vanderbilt’s strongest arm, junior LHP JD Thompson. The Rusk High School product surrendered five hits but only conceded a single run in his 6.3 inning outing, locking up batters with a well-executed slider to freeze A&M’s offense.
The race to break through the starting pitching reached its peak when Thompson struck out his first two batters in the fifth inning. The chess match of pitching and swinging created a back-and-forth, though graduate third basemanWyatt Henseler pierced through the stalemate when he reached on a hard-hit ball that led to a Vanderbilt error. The search for a historic home run for junior center fielderJace LaViolette, though, would have to wait, as his strikeout doomed a chance for an A&M lead.
The grit and fight of the Maroon and White could be perfectly summed up in a 13-pitch battle Lamkin found himself in on the mound as the defensive chess match was back in play. The combination of a slider and change-up from the southpaw served him well into a transition to a late-count fastball, chopping the ball in the dirt for an awaiting Royo to complete a long-awaited out to first base.
However, when one end of the ball fights, a matching spark is required on the other side to get things rolling — something that has been difficult despite changes to the order seemingly every game.
When it came to the offensive side, the search for the Aggies to find themselves continued into the late frames, as six consecutive strikeouts made the task increasingly difficult. While Lamkin was not generating the same strikeout numbers, he was staying true to his identity as a stout wall, containing the Commodore offense.
Thompson’s night ended on his 96th pitch, which resulted in his 10th strikeout of the game. Following his departure, Corbin’s crew relied on the expertise of a veteran bullpen to complete the masterpiece that Thompson orchestrated. Lamkin was poised to leave the bump under the same circumstances, however, he met his match when he let up three hits in quick succession. In the blink of an eye, Vanderbilt had its first lead of the night and challenged A&M’s offense to respond promptly.
If a challenge was indeed on its way, it would have to come in a last-ditch effort. A 1-2-3 inning for the top of the Aggie batting order was unable to cut into the Commodores’ 3-1 lead and threatened to drop them to a fifth-straight conference loss.
It has become an all-too-common occurrence for the Aggies to suffer close losses. In their past four conference losses, the batting order has gone a combined 10-for-49 with runners on base, as well as letting up two ninth-inning comebacks to Alabama in their first series defeat. Additionally, all their losses have been by two runs or less.
Between hot beginnings offensively followed by stagnant frames, and lights-out starting pitching and rough subsequent relief, A&M has found itself adrift in seas made rough by their own self-inflicted wounds. A kickstart to the offense is due for the Maroon and White, but who will step up and be the difference-maker has yet to be seen as they fall to .500 on the season.
The Aggies look to avoid a sweep in a 2 p.m. series finale against Vanderbilt on Saturday, March 22.
