Patience at the plate and timely hitting were contributing factors to No. 15 A&M baseball taking down Prairie View A&M 9-2 at Olsen Field Tuesday night.
When the game was still knotted up 2-2 heading into the sixth inning, Joel Davis homered over the left center field wall to put A&M ahead 3-2. The Aggies (7-1) would tack on three more runs in seventh and three in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
Following Davis’s solo home run, a key at bat came from Austin Homan in the next inning.
After a leadoff double from Braden Shewmake and an intentional walk was given to Davis, Homan was called on to pinch hit and he delivered.
Homan saw 11 pitches and drew a walk to load the bases. Blake Kopetsky, the next batter up, would plate two more runs with an RBI single. Homan would score the final run before the eighth was over giving A&M a 6-2 lead.
Kopetsky credits Homan with him being able to get a big hit after he had worked such a long at bat.
“We kind of struggled earlier with the bats and then Austin Homan comes off the bench and has I think an 11 pitch at bat — then just drains that pitcher and strips him down,” Kopetsky said. “And I’m lucky enough to get a fastball middle-in and just shoot up the middle.”
After the night was over, A&M had drawn a total of 11 walks, which led to run scoring opportunities in the last three innings of the game.
The Aggies closed out the scoring in the eighth after a double from Logan Foster, and a walk from Shewmake turned into more runs. After Foster and Shewmake converted on a double steal, Hunter Coleman drove them in.
A&M head coach Rob Childress said Prairie View was still within reach until his team rallied in the later innings.
“Tonight it was a ball game for six innings and we felt the pressure all the way through there until the eighth inning, we were able to extend the lead a little bit more,” Childress said. “It’s still a four run game and a couple of walks and a hit batter away from putting them right back in the game.”
A&M started its night striking first in the bottom of the third, drawing two walks and capitalizing on a throwing error — Blake Kopetsky drew a leadoff walk, followed by his teammate George Janca. When Hunter Coleman stepped up to bat, he laid down a bunt-single and a wide throw to first saw Kopetsky cross home plate giving A&M the 1-0 lead.
In the following inning, Prairie View (1-9) got themselves on the board when Cody Den Beste tried to take second base. While Den Beste was stealing second, Corbin Jamison on third ran home and scored the game tying run, while Den Beste was thrown out.
Both teams would score again in the fifth inning to tie 2-2 — the Panthers on an RBI single from Andrew Garcia and a wild pitch would allow Coleman to score from third.
Darrien Williams started for Prairie View and earned the loss. Williams pitched five innings, while giving up five hits and three runs, two of which were earned. After Williams was pulled in the fifth the Panthers used four more relievers to pitch the rest of the way.
On the mound for the Aggies, John Doxakis lasted five innings, while giving up three hits and two runs before giving way to Landon Miner. Miner was credited with the win.
Miner had a good outing with a strong cut fastball — he threw three innings without giving up a run and only allowed a hit, before Jason Ruffcorn came in to pitch a scoreless ninth inning.
“I felt good, I was just doing my job — trying to go in there and throw strikes and let my defense work,” Miner said of his performance. “I was throwing a lot of cutters tonight, that’s what was working for me and letting my defense work behind me.”
The Aggies will return to the diamond Wednesday night when they host Incarnate Word. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on SEC Network+.
