Texas A&M baseball’s stay in Hoover, Alabama, was cut short after a dog fight of a game ended in a 4-3 loss to the LSU Tigers. Even a two-out situation with runners on late in the ninth for the Aggies wasn’t enough to keep the season alive as the former preseason No. 1 Aggies’ ended their run at the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The story of the day was the return of junior center fielder Jace LaViolette, who left Thursday’s matchup against Auburn after taking a pitch to the hand in the fifth inning. After a broken finger diagnosis, LaViolette was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. However, he showed his true grit and character by returning to the lineup on Friday as the Aggies’ designated hitter.
“Got hit in the hand yesterday, broke a bone in there and went and got surgery and played today,” LaViolette said. “I think it’s pretty clear, I said in an interview the other day that I’d run through a brick wall for [coach Michael Earley], and I want to win.”
The Tigers got on the board early with a double from junior designated hitter Ethan Frey who plated the first run of the evening. A ground out scored another run for LSU, giving them an early 2-0 advantage over A&M, desperately fighting to keep its season alive.
Frey led the Tigers with three RBIs after hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to raise their lead, 4-0. The Tigers were fueled by sophomore left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson, who punched out eight-of-nine Aggies the first time through the lineup and finished the game with 12 strikeouts.
Despite an early Tiger-dominated game, A&M pitchers junior LHP Myles Patton and sophomore right-handed Clayton Freshcorn held them there until the very end. Freshcorn had a phenomenal 3 ⅓ innings with five strikeouts, not allowing a single baserunner.
The Aggies got their bats going in the fourth after eight strikeouts and a pop-up plagued the lineup’s first time in the box. A leadoff full-count walk from junior shortstop Kaeden Kent, followed by a base hit from graduate third baseman Wyatt Hensler would send LaViolette up to the plate.
A base hit down the right-field line from LaViolette had Kent sprinting for home, giving Aggie fans a sigh of relief after Anderson’s incredible pitching performance. The Maroon and White then plated another run off a sacrifice fly from senior first baseman Gavin Kash, sending Hensler home.
The last run out of A&M once again came from LaViolette sending Kent home to put the Aggies within one run late in the sixth. The game was tied, but only for a fleeting moment after a controversial runner’s interference call was made late by the umpire, erasing what would’ve been the tying run.
Despite two strikeouts in the ninth, the Fightin’ Farmers knew what was on the line as they rallied behind the bats of Kash and junior second baseman Ben Royo. Kash drew the walk before Royo singled into center field, putting the tying run 90-feet away, giving the Aggies hope to keep their season alive.
However, a three pitch sequence for freshman center fielder Terrence Kiel II closed the Aggies’ season with a routine strikeout.
With the season at an end despite a solid run in the SEC Tournament, the Aggies are likely to be part of the First Four Out of the NCAA Tournament.
