Through 46 games, No. 1 Texas A&M baseball has shown dominance. Besides a lone series loss to Florida to begin SEC play, A&M has won every conference series since, shooting right out the gate hot with Game 1 wins in those series.
However, the defending champs in LSU gave the Maroon and White a taste of their own medicine and prescribed a Game 1 victory. Looking to push the series to a winner-take-all Game 3, the Aggies stepped up to the plate and immediately gave the Tigers a three-piece combo in the first inning, courtesy of senior C Jackson Appel, junior SS Ali Camarillo and freshman LF Caden Sorrell. Up early, A&M looked like it had exercised its demons from 24 hours ago.
Unfortunately for A&M, baseball isn’t won in one inning and the early strikes only woke up the Tigers as the Purple and Gold went on a 6-1 run to secure another 6-4 win and series win in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday, May 4.
Though sophomore LHP Justin Lamkin served up two scoreless frames early, the Tigers plated three in the third, featuring back-to-back homers by junior 3B Tommy White and sophomore 1B Jared Jones to tie the game.
In response, the Aggies came right back by loading up the bases. Led by Camarillo, who got things going with a single before two walks, A&M was primed to pull away.
However, the Tigers came out unscathed as junior RHP Luke Holman rebounded, throwing three straight strikeouts to shut down the momentum and close out the frame scoreless.
Coming down to the wire, both teams kept each other at bay in the fifth and sixth to set up late game heroics. It didn’t favor the Aggies as late-game errors arose to dismantle them.
Coming in the fourth to relieve Lamkin, sophomore LHP Shane Sdao was terrific in his tenure, allowing just one hit and three strikeouts. However, after walking graduate C Alex Milazzo, the southpaw threw the team’s first wild pitch to advance the catcher to second.
Though reliable senior closer Evan Aschenbeck came in to switch up the look, the Tigers kept on pouncing, forcing yet another wild pitch to plate the game’s first run since the third inning.
On the mound for LSU, senior RHP Christian Little snuffed out the Aggies in the eighth, working a clean 1-2-3 frame and giving the Tigers a chance to put it away for good. Uncharacteristically, Aschenbeck gave the Tigers more momentum as Milazzo and White recorded RBI singles to double the lead.
In a last ditch effort to salvage the game and series, senior Ted Burton pinch hit for Chestnut and the switch paid off as Burton singled to left-center. However, Little added two strikeouts to his name before sophomore CF Jace LaViolette plated an RBI single to pull the Aggies one score closer.
Junior LHP Justin Loer came in for Little in hopes of sealing the game for good but after a fielding error put junior RF Braden Montgomery on first and LaViolette on second, his night was done. LSU rotated to its last pitcher in sophomore RHP Gavin Guidry.
Though A&M’s comeback almost came to fruition as Montgomery and LaViolette advanced one more base after a wild pitch, an Appel flyout sealed the deal for the Tigers.
Both teams head back to Alex Box Stadium for a final time this weekend on Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m.
