With a scoring frenzy in the second inning, Texas A&M baseball claimed the first game of its weekend series against Northern Kentucky University, earning its fifth-straight win on Friday, March 10.
After defeating both the University of the Incarnate Word and Rice University earlier this week, the Aggies looked to continue their offensive success against the Norsemen. The three-game series, serving as the maroon and white’s final stretch of non-conference play, provides the team with an opportunity to continue its momentum.
“We know what’s coming down the tracks,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “But we’ve obviously proven we can beat a good team and we can lose to anybody, so we’re just focused on getting through tonight and getting ready to go tomorrow.”
Helping the team get through the night was junior pitcher Nathan Dettmer, who started on the mound for the Aggies. Earning his first win of the season, he was able to shut down the Norsemen’s offensive attacks for six innings, collecting eight strikeouts and allowing only two hits.
“As a starter in this league, you have to dig deep, and I felt like I did there,” Dettmer said. “I gave it all I had, and I got a good outcome out of it.”
After a tough outing against the University of Louisville during the Shriners Children’s College Classic last week, Friday’s game against Northern Kentucky gave Dettmer the chance to regain his composure.
“It was a reset,” Dettmer said. “Especially going into SEC play, I have a lot of confidence now.”
Also gaining confidence during the win against the Norsemen was the Aggies’ offense that was able to take control of the game during the second inning, where it scored eight runs to take the lead.
Hard hit balls from junior designated hitter Ryan Targac and freshman left fielder Jace LaViolette and a slew of defensive errors from the Norsemen led to the Fightin’ Farmers having their second highest scoring inning of the season, following closely behind the nine-run fourth inning they had against Houston Christian University on Feb. 28.
“We had some luck in that inning and we had some good at-bats in that inning,” Schlossnagle said.
Excluding the second inning, however, Northern Kentucky’s defense worked to shut out the maroon and white’s batters, holding them to eight scoreless frames throughout the game.
“You don’t want to shut down the at-bats just because you’re winning,” Schlossnagle said. “Baseball’s not played with a light switch — you don’t get to decide when you turn it on or when you turn it off.”
Following Dettmer’s six dominant innings, A&M brought in freshman pitcher Ty Sexton for relief. Despite successfully escaping the top of the seventh frame unscathed, Sexton allowed the Norsemen to score a run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, ending the Aggies’ shutout bid.
After a quick top of the ninth, the maroon and white took the first game of the weekend by a score of 8-1.
“To give my guys some rest and only have to pitch two tonight, that’s huge for us,” Dettmer said. “I know it’s going to be good for us tomorrow.”
The Aggies and the Norsemen will face off at Olsen Field once again on Saturday at 2 p.m., and will play the last game of their weekend series on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.