Texas A&M baseball’s Saturday, Feb. 24 matchup with Wagner featured several things that coach Jim Schlossnagle hadn’t witnessed before in his career spanning over 30 years, both on and off the field.

A day removed from its performance at the plate leading to a 17-2 win over Wagner, A&M got the job done with its showing on the mound in Game 2 of the series.

The Aggies’ pitching staff kept the Seahawks off the scoreboard as the Maroon and White did just enough to pull out a 2-0 victory at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. Sophomore LHP Justin Lamkin and senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck combined on the effort in holding Wagner to five hits with 12 strikeouts.

“Since I’ve been the coach at A&M, I can’t remember us winning a game with just pitching and defense,” Schlossnagle said. “I can remember us making pitches and winning a game 8-6, but I really don’t remember us having a rough day at the plate and still being able to win the game.”

Then, there was the delay of the bottom of the sixth inning.

Wagner took to the field for warmups as usual, with the exception of junior LF Albert Serrano. He remained absent from the field as the Seahawks eventually retreated to wait outside their dugout.

After over 10 minutes, Serrano triumphantly took the field to a round of applause from Seahawks and Aggies alike. The explanation for his absence? Serrano found himself locked inside the dugout restroom after the door handle fell off.

“I haven’t experienced that one, but let that be further evidence that we need a new ballpark,” Schlossnagle said.

The shutout lowered A&M’s nation-best ERA to 0.52, but it didn’t come without its challenges. After a leadoff single in the sixth, Aschenbeck entered the game and found himself with the bases loaded and one out.

The jam earned Aschenbeck a visit from pitching coach Max Weiner, known for his ideology of “dominate the [strike] zone.”

Weiner’s quick chat paid dividends, as Aschenbeck responded by punching out the next two batters on six pitches. As it turns out, that conversation was more simple than one would think.

“He honestly didn’t tell me anything,” Aschenbeck said. “He just said, ‘I’m out here not for you, but I’m here just to mess with the hitter.’ He just came out here and just tried to calm me down, tell me to recommit and he trusts me.”

Aschenbeck’s two strikeouts to end the frame began a streak of 16 consecutive strikes thrown by the Brenham product, who picked up the first save of the Aggies’ 6-0 season.

“It’s a great feeling just to come out with a win in general,” Aschenbeck said. “This team is something special and everybody pulls for everybody, so in tough and tight games like this, everybody’s coming together.”

Lamkin and Aschenbeck didn’t operate under the usual cushion they’ve received from A&M’s offense this season, with the Aggies getting their scoring out of the way in the opening frame. Freshman 3B Gavin Grahovac and sophomore CF Jace LaViolette led off with a double and a hit by pitch, respectively, before junior RF Braden Montgomery’s single brought them home.

The Aggies totaled eight hits while leaving eight runners on base, with graduate LF Hayden Schott’s three hits providing the team’s biggest spark. After the first inning, Wagner’s trio of pitchers did a successful job of keeping the bats in check.

“You’ve got to be able to win games in different ways to have a good season,” Schlossnagle said. “That’s the difference in where we are now with a strike-throwing pitching staff and where we were before this.”

A&M will be gunning for its second sweep of the season on Sunday, Feb. 25, with first pitch against Wagner set for 1 p.m. Jacksonville State transfer RHP Tanner Jones is scheduled to start on the mound as he returns from injury on an innings restriction.

“Just [looking for him] to get out there and feel good, get through the first couple innings,” Schlossnagle said. “We’ve got to be careful with him, but so far, so good.”