On Tuesday, the No. 21 Texas A&M baseball team finished with 12 hits and 10 walks, totaling 24 players on base, as the Aggies defeated the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 13-4 at Olsen Field.
With the victory, the Aggies start off the season 4-0 after sweeping their opening weekend series against Miami of Ohio. For the Lumberjacks, an opening day win against Arkansas State has turned into three straight losses on the season heading into the SFA tournament this season.
A&M coach Rob Childress praised his team for playing and preparing despite the circumstances leading into the game.
“We talked to the team today before the game started,” Childress. “This is the recipe for a team to not be into it, with the weather and [whether or not] we were going to play or not going to play. I’m glad we brought Stephen F. Austin in, I’m glad we got the game in. Our guys were prepared and certainly ready to go.”
Entering this matchup, the Aggies were coming out of a weekend series in which they finished with 32 runs, 35 hits and 27 RBIs, their most runs in a weekend series since facing Cornell in 2018. Against SFA, A&M’s offense continued to demonstrate its improved power against the Lumberjacks. College Station native and SFA pitcher Reese Easterling finished the contest having allowed 13 runs, 12 hits, 10 walks and two stolen bases.
After not getting on base in the first inning, shortstop Trevor Werner put the Aggies on the scoreboard, recording a single up the middle to allow designated hitter Will Frizzell and right fielder Zach DeLoach to come in from third base. Up 2-0, the Aggies’ next batter, Bryce Blaum, doubled into right center field to allow catcher Mikey Hoehner and Werner to score. Another double two batters later from third baseman Logan Sartori brought in Blaum to score. In the matter of 10 pitches, a scoreless ball game turned into a five-run lead for A&M.
Blaum said the depth of the A&M offense allows for scoring opportunities no matter who is playing.
“It speaks volumes of the way our coaches recruited and the plan that [hitting] coach [Chad] Caillet has instilled in our offense,” Blaum said. “We know that we have 15 guys who can really swing the bat. You saw Bost put some really great swings today. Logan Britt is going to be a phenomenal guy, and already is a great player. The depth that we have is incredible, and it is going to help us out in the long run because we have guys that can fill in when we need them.”
The Aggies carried their scoring into the third and fourth inning. After Easterling left in the third, A&M dismantled his replacement Jaxon Covington, with doubles by Hoehner and Blaum and a single by left fielder Rody Barker bringing in four runs during the third inning. In the fourth, a wild pitch by SFA allowed for both Ray Alejo and DeLoach to score, giving the Aggies an 11-run lead after four innings.
Starting the game on the mound for the Aggies, Dustin Saenz finished the first four innings with two hits and no earned runs. Saenz ran into trouble in the top of the fifth, however, when the Lumberjacks capitalized on poor fielding by the Aggies to cut into their lead. After two hits to start the inning, a throwing error by first basemen Hunter Coleman allowed SFA to score a run. Four pitches later, a single by SFA’s Skylar Black allowed the Lumberjacks to double their score. Later in the fifth, two throwing errors on the same play from Blaum and Werner allowed the Lumberjacks to tack on two more runs, cutting the A&M lead to 11-4. Saenz ended his night in five innings pitched with six hits allowed, two unearned runs allowed and six strikeouts totaling 85 pitches.
With Saenz leaving at the top of the sixth, the Aggies turned to freshman left-handed pitcher Will Johnston on the mound. After playing in the season-opener against the redhawks, Johnston showed great poise on the mound against SFA, allowing one hit through two innings, allowing no runs and retiring all six batters he faced while finishing with three strikeouts. Johnston’s replacement in the top of the eighth, senior Jake Nelson, struggled early, allowing runners on second and third, before striking out his next three batters.
While Johnston and the Aggie defense weathered the SFA offense, the A&M offense became stagnant after the bottom of the fourth. After recording 11 hits in the first four innings, the Aggies failed to record more than one hit the remainder of the contest. In both the bottom of the fifth and six innings, SFA retired the side, forcing outs from all three Aggies batters. In the seventh, A&M had runners on second and first before a fly out by DH Austin Bost ended the inning.
Still holding onto a seven run lead in the bottom of the eighth, the Aggies quickly loaded the bases off of a fielding error and walked by SFA pitcher Easton Turnage. With two outs, the bases loaded and a full pitching count, Turnage threw a ball four that allowed centerfielder Logan Britt to score from third base. One batter later, Turnage hit Barker in the nose, forcing Barker to leave the game while allowing right fielder Austin Corbett to score. A near perfect ninth inning from Mason Ornelas, including two strikeouts, secured the victory for A&M.
The Aggies return to action Wednesday, as they face off against Prairie View A&M at Olsen Field at 6:30 p.m. They follow up that game with a three-game weekend series against Army.