After defeating Vanderbilt on Thursday afternoon, the Aggies advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. Vanderbilt won their elimination game to set up a rematch on Saturday. The outcome was far different this time, as Vanderbilt ripped the Aggie pitching staff for a 12-3 win over A&M. The loss brings the Aggies’ SEC Tournament run to a close.
Vanderbilt showcased their explosive offense all day, getting to work on Aggie starter Andrew Vinson early in the game. After getting a man on due to an A&M error, a two run Vanderbilt home run helped the Commodores jump to a 2-0 lead.
As they have done all year, the Aggies would respond in bottom half of the second inning, posting a run of their own off a Nick Choruby RBI single to make it a 2-1 game. The next inning, Vanderbilt would gain two runs off a home run from Zander Wiel and a wild pitch to gain a 4-1 lead.
A&M mounted a comeback quickly in the third inning, scoring two runs thanks to RBI from Logan Taylor and Nick Banks. The Aggies trailed 4-3 after four innings of play.
The Commodores would inflict their worst damage in the fifth inning. Due in part to two huge Aggie errors, Vanderbilt would score five runs in the inning off of Aggie reliever Tyler Stubblefield to attain a 9-3 advantage. Later in the sixth inning, National Player of the Year candidate Dansby Swanson smashed a two run, no doubt home run out of the park for an 11-3 Commodore lead.
Defense was detrimental to A&M again, committing three errors that all led to Vanderbilt runs. The pitching staff had issues all day with the powerful Commodore lineup, as they rotated through seven pitchers during the afternoon. They allowed 12 runs, nine of them being earned, on 10 hits. A&M also walked seven batters on the day, which gave Vanderbilt even more free baserunners.
The Aggies were outhit by Vanderbilt, and managed only six hits on the afternoon. The last Aggie hit came in the fourth inning, as Vanderbilt’s John Kilichowski set down every batter he faced, 18 straight, to kill the Aggie comeback chances.
The loss knocks A&M out of the SEC Tournament. The Aggies have already sealed up a host spot for the NCAA Regionals, but will be watching Selection Monday to see if they earned a national seed for the postseason. Regional play will begin from Olsen Field on Friday afternoon.