The force was with Texas A&M baseball when No. 2 LSU came to town. The Maroon and White downed its third top-2 ranked opponent in a weekend series since April 5, when it defeated LSU 6-4 on Sunday, May 4.
The Aggies spent the rubber match celebrating May 4, or “May the 4th,” as “Star Wars” fans know it. During the game, there were several allusions to the popular movie franchise. From replacing the Tigers’ player headshots with photos of storm troopers, to lightsaber sound effects and John Williams-composed music playing throughout the day, Olsen Field had it all.
The Tigers did a phenomenal job bottling up sophomore right fielder Caden Sorrell. Until the eighth inning, Sorrell was 0-4 with two strikeouts.
“Super Sorrell” can only be contained for so long, though. With two runners on, Sorrell sent a ball into orbit to give the Aggies their first lead of the game.
“He’s Darth Vader,” coach Michael Earley said. “Talk about a guy that ain’t afraid of the moment. … He’s an absolute killer with a plan. He is just that dude, man. He’s different.”
Junior left-handed pitcher Myles Patton looked like a Jedi Knight on the mound in his Sunday start for the Aggies. The southpaw got to work early in the first inning, recording his first three strikeouts on the day.
Patton continued to pour on the heat before a couple fielding mistakes derailed his performance in the fourth inning, allowing the Tigers to plate two after a botched transfer could have ended the frame.
The Bayou Bengals tacked on another two runs when LSU senior catcher Luis Hernandez launched a ball over the left-field wall. Patton finished his afternoon after six innings with six strikeouts, six hits and four runs allowed.
“[Patton] did a great job,” Earley said. “Starting pitching, getting a chance to win. That doesn’t mean you get out with the lead, but you give yourself a chance and keep the game within scoring distance.”
Junior center fielder Jace LaViolette’s slump continued. After going 0-3 in the Aggies’ 3-0 victory in Game 1 and 0-4 in their 2-1 loss, the Aggies’ star has found himself out of sorts lately..
LaViolette discussed his struggles and the effect his performance in the team’s victory over Lamar has had on his mental health after Sunday’s game.
“How many at-bats can I go through without getting in my own way,” LaViolette said. ”The more I can do that, the more successful I can be.”
Considered a preseason favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft, LaViolette proceeded to get in his own way on Sunday, but found a bright spot. He ended his four-game hitless streak when he singled in the eighth inning to bring senior first baseman Gavin Kash home and cut the Tigers’ lead to one. His knock ended his longest drought of the season.
LSU’s pitching staff had a plan for LaViolette heading into Sunday’s matchup. Each time the lefty would step up to the plate, the Tigers would swap whatever pitcher they had on the mound for a left-handed pitcher. They would strike out LaViolette, then be done for the day.
“That pitching staff as a whole, I mean, they are something else,” Earley said. “They are a handful, and you just gotta do stuff to get on base and you gotta keep fighting and that’s what our guys do.”
The Tigers’ pitchers were no match for junior shortstop Kaeden Kent, who cut the LSU lead to one with a solo homer in the fifth inning.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Weston Moss played a massive role in the Fightin’ Farmers’ win. Moss entered the game and went three scoreless innings with one hit given up. The sophomore has been dealing with an illness and a performance like Sunday’s is reassuring.
“I’m getting back to it,” Moss said. “I lost, like, 10+ pounds, like, really quick. I was just really fatigued for a little while and I think that kind of mentally screwed me up a little bit for a couple games there, but I got back to it.”
The Aggies will look to keep building momentum when they make the short drive to play the Houston Cougars at Schroeder Park at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
