No. 2 Texas A&M baseball welcomed No. 13 LSU to Olsen field for the opening game of its series. This matchup marked the first time the Aggies (20-2) faced a ranked opponent this season as they looked to extend their 18-game win streak.
The Aggie defense retired the LSU players in order to start off the game, and Texas A&M then spent no time taking a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. With another quick inning by sophomore Jace Vines, the Aggies added another run in the bottom half after a bunt from freshman shortstop George Janca.
In his last outing on the mound, Vines was not content with the way that he performed. However after a 6-1 victory over LSU, which included 6 complete innings pitched, Vines said that he was pleased with the way he came out and pitched today versus a top-ranked team.
“I felt like I had a tough outing in Auburn, but I bounced back and was throwing strikes,” Vines said. “Coach was calling great pitches. Mike was catching a great game. It’s easy to pitch with this kind of defense behind me.”
The Aggie defense held the Tigers (15-6) to zero runs through five complete innings. The Aggies were able to hold off several LSU efforts to score. However, the Tigers were finally able to get on the board after an RBI single from Antonie Duplantis to cut the A&M lead to one.
The Aggies responded in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend the A&M lead to 3-1. Junior third baseman Boomer White had the RBI double that allowed Janca to score. Later in the inning, Nick Banks drew a bases-loaded walk to make the A&M lead 4-1.
In the eighth inning, the A&M offense continued to cause havoc on the LSU defense. After hitting an RBI single that extended A&M’s lead to 5-1, senior J.B Moss stole two consecutive bases on his way to scoring a run and adding to the A&M lead. Moss said that getting early runs is important regardless of the opponent.
“Against anybody it’s huge, especially with a team like LSU,” Moss said. “A lot of talent on the mound and offensively, it’s of the utmost importance to get off on the right foot offensively. The pitchers did a good job setting the tone.”
Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said that despite winning the opening game of the series, it is important for his team to remain focused and prepared for the second game of the series.
“They’ve got a really good club, they’re extremely well coached,” Childress said. “We’ve got our hands full tomorrow. We’re trying to win the series tomorrow, it will be an extreme challenge for us with their guy on the mound.
Texas A&M will be back in action Friday at 8:02 p.m. at Blue Bell Park as they face LSU for game two of the series. The Aggies will send Tyler Ivey to the mound, while LSU will counter with Alex Lange.
