Following the previous two losses, Texas A&M baseball was hoping for a change in fortune. Unfortunately for coach Michael Earley and his men, No. 22 Vanderbilt defeated A&M 8-5, securing the sweep.

A&M entered Hawkins Field after dropping the away series’ first two games. The Aggies presented a similar lineup for the series finale, bringing in junior outfielder Jamal George to play left field. On the bump for the Maroon and White was junior left-handed pitcher Myles Patton.

The first two innings were positive, at least for the pitching coaches. For Vanderbilt, junior right-handed pitcher Cody Bowker limited the Aggies to one hit. While less dominant than his counterpart, Patton kept the Commodores off the scoreboard.

Shortly after, Vanderbilt’s hitters put their stamp on the game. Freshman third baseman Brodie Johnston launched a two-run blast deep out to left field. In the next at-bat, junior first baseman Riley Nelson crushed one out to center field. The ball seemed destined to find the centerfield lawn, but thankfully for the Aggies, junior center fielder Jace LaViolette was alert and in position. The Katy Tompkins graduate leaped above the wall and made the catch, keeping the ball in the park and the Aggies within touching distance of the home team.

LaViolette continued to drive the Fightin’ Farmers towards a tie ball game in the top of the fourth when he deposited a double into the left-field bleachers. He was promptly driven in by senior 1B Gavin Kash, who found grass in shallow left. A combination of timely hitting from sophomore catcher Bear Harrison and graduate designated hitter Hayden Schott scored Kash, tying the game.

The fruits of this labor were seen the next time the Aggies returned to the plate. Graduate 3B Wyatt Henseler took advantage of a worn-out Bowker and crushed a fastball over the power alley in left-center field and into the lawn. This solo homer put A&M in the lead and sent Vanderbilt to the bullpen. A&M continued to threaten but failed to add any runs.

In the bottom of the fifth, Patton fell victim to a new Vanderbilt strategy. A softly hit single followed by two bunts saw him exit the game responsible for runners on second and third with one out. Bullpen stalwart, sophomore RHP Weston Moss, entered the game hoping to play fireman. Fortunately for Earley’s team, Moss doused the Commodores. After a tough at-bat, junior CF RJ Austin ripped one down the third-base line. Henseler used his Ivy League education to make a heady play, keeping the ball in the infield and eventually throwing out Austin at first base. The exemplary fielding set up the next at-bat where Moss ended the inning.

Moss continued his dominance until the seventh inning, which saw two runners reach base at the cost of one out. Fellow sophomore RHP Luke Jackson replaced him from the bullpen, but his entrance didn’t see as much success. A walk of senior right fielder Jacob Humphrey loaded the bases, bringing Austin to the plate. He conveniently dropped a bloop shot into shallow right field, scoring two runs. Johnston then hit a similar flare into right field and scored another. After doing little wrong and not allowing any solid contact, Jackson exited the game with the Aggies down, 5-3.

Another sophomore reliever entered the game from the pen in the form of LHP Kaiden Wilson. The Raymore, Missouri native was tasked with facing Nelson, who was robbed of his first SEC home run by LaViolette earlier in the game. Nelson clearly didn’t want to have a similar experience during this plate appearance, resulting in a three-run blast that put the home team up by five. Wilson was then replaced by sophomore RHP Clayton Freshcorn. The Waller native did well to keep the damage to a minimum.

The Aggies fought hard to get back into the game, cutting the lead down to three with timely hitting and several walks. This brought Schott to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Schott worked the count full but eventually became a strikeout victim, wrapping up Vanderbilt’s 8-5 victory.

A&M is now winless in six conference games and can’t afford to drop many more. Last year’s national runner-up is in serious jeopardy of making regionals. The Aggies will return to the diamond on Tuesday, March 25, when they take on Houston Christian.