After a difficult 1-3 start to the season for Texas A&M baseball, the Aggies found an extra inning victory over Tarleton State on Wednesday.
Off to what seemed a quick start, senior infielder Will Frizzell hit a solo home run into right field in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. However, the Aggies would fail to get a hit again until Frizzell’s next at bat in the fourth where he repeated the home run while the Aggies trailed.
“[Will Frizzell] was big for us,” A&M coach Rob Childress said. “He’s the only offense we had until the fifth inning. I mean literally. He’s a guy that can raise your blood pressure every time he steps in the box. He has a gift. Not only does he have power, he also has great command of the strike zone. He will take his walks and do those things. Will is a very advanced hitter.”
Freshman Nathan Dettmer got the starting pitcher job for the night, where he struck out six batters in three innings pitched while walking one and allowing three hits and an unearned run. With the game knotted at 1 at the top of the fourth, freshman Wyatt Tucker stepped in for a brief stint.
Tarleton brought three runners across the plate against Tucker and then one more in the inning after Tucker was substituted out. Down 5-1, Frizzell’s second solo shot brought the score to 5-2.
“It felt great to put together two good at bats to start the game,” Frizzell said. “But what really got it started was Ray Alejo getting hit by the pitch and then Kalae Harrison knocking it down, Bryce Blaum getting the bunt. All those things tied together to allow us to jump back into the game offensively.”
With two outs in the fifth inning and graduate student outfielder Alejo on base, freshman infielder Harrison hit a two-run home run to narrow Tarleton’s lead. Junior infielder Blaum notched the Aggies’ first non-home run hit of the night with his bunt that set up two more runs in the inning, bringing A&M a 6-5 lead.
“Yeah, it felt great,” Harrison said. “It felt great to get the first one out of the way and just help my team get back in the position to strike again. It just felt great to keep my team going, and that’s what we are all about.”
The game remained quiet until the bottom of the eighth where the Aggies scored one more to expand the lead to 7-5. A&M’s bullpen aided the defensive effort by throwing 18 strikeouts between six pitchers.
A late offensive effort from Tarleton sent the game, tied at 7, to extra innings. Sophomore Joseph Menefee was called up to the mound where he struck out two batters to retire the side, leaving A&M an opportunity to take the game in the bottom of the 10th.
With two outs and a runner on first base, junior Austin Bost came in for a pinch hit where he singled and advanced a runner to third. Sophomore outfielder Jordan Thompson stepped up to the plate and sent a ball through a gap to left field, bringing in the winning run.
“When you get to experience Olsen magic early in the season, it’s something you can always draw from later in the season,” Childress said. “Because there is going to be those moments again throughout the course of the year. Knowing that we’re capable of doing it and understanding and understanding how you have to do it. You’re not going to do it with one swing of the bat, you have to do it together. The guys certainly did that tonight.”
Wednesday’s win brings A&M to 2-3 on the young season. Coming up for the Aggies is the Round Rock Classic which opens on Friday, Feb. 26 against Baylor, followed by Oklahoma on Saturday and conference opponent Auburn on Sunday.