After taking the first game of the series at Mississippi State, the No. 18 Texas A&M baseball team fell in game two to the Bulldogs 11-6. After the loss, the Aggies are now 31-12 (10-10 SEC) and the Bulldogs are 24-20 (9-11 SEC) after their win.
Mississippi State kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the third with a six run frame. A fielder’s choice scored the first before a three consecutive two-out hits scored the next five. State score two more in the bottom of the fourth on a groundout and a single.
The Aggies got on the board in the top of the fifth when junior second baseman blasted a three run homer. A&M then added two more in the top of the seventh before the Bulldogs added three in the bottom of the inning thanks to a double and a couple of Aggie errors. The Aggies added one more in the ninth on a State error before falling 11-6.
The Aggie offense was led by junior third baseman George Janca, junior second baseman Michael Helman, and freshman center fielder Zach DeLoach. Janca went 3-4 with a run scored, Helman went 2-5 with three RBIs, and DeLoach went 1-4 with a run scored.
The Bulldog offense was led by junior outfielder Jake Mangum, freshman infielder Rowdey Jordan, and junior infielder Hunter Stovall. Mangum went 4-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Jordan went 3-4 with two runs scored, and Stovall went 3-5 with a run scored and one RBI.
Senior lefty Zach Neff led the way for the Bulldogs pitching staff on Friday. Neff tossed three shutout innings, giving up just three hits, while striking out two. Sophomore John Doxakis started on the mound for the Aggies, and the Bulldogs made sure his outing was short. Doxakis gave up six earned runs and eight hits in just three innings.
The Aggies and Bulldogs will be back in action on Sunday at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.