The Texas A&M baseball team faced off against the No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday. April 28. In Game 2 of the series, A&M looked to bounce back from its shortcomings the day before and topple the team from Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Aggies entered in the midst of a three-game losing streak and needed a win versus the Hogs. The maroon and white looked to junior RHP Nathan Dettmer to start for them on the mound. Dettmer would pitch opposite the Razorbacks’ sophomore RHP Brady Tygart.
Both teams were held scoreless in the first inning, but it would not last for long, as both would score in the second inning. A&M scored in the top of the frame with junior DH Ryan Targac hitting a sacrifice fly to deep center field. Targac earned the RBI when senior 2B Austin Bost tagged up and ran home. Arkansas would do the exact same in the bottom of the inning, evening the score with a sacrifice fly to center field. Junior 3B Caleb Cali would be the Razorback to cross the plate and earn the home team the run.
Arkansas would go on and score four more runs without an answer from A&M. The Razorbacks would be up 5-1 going into the fifth inning. A&M junior LHP Evan Aschenbeck would be pulled after the fourth inning following a poor performance that saw him give up the four runs.
To kick off the onslaught, junior CF Jace Bohrofen pinged the ball right past the first baseman, earning himself a RBI double in the bottom of the third. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, junior C Parker Rowland bunted to score a run and advance all runners on base. Sophomore RF Kendall Diggs then hit an RBI single, followed by a sacrifice fly from sophomore 2B Peyton Stovall.
Arkansas got an excellent performance from junior RHP Will McEntire, only giving up two hits in 5.2 innings to keep the Razorbacks ahead of the Aggies.
In an effort to bring the Aggies back, freshmen C Max Kaufer hit a solo homer over the left field wall to make it a 5-2 game. Arkansas would answer right back when junior DH Ben McLuaghlin scored on a wild pitch, putting the Razorbacks ahead 6-2.
Senior CF Jordan Thompson smashed a 2-run homer to left field in the top of the seventh to try and rally the Aggies, but Thompson’s effort was the final scoring for A&M. The score now sat at 6-4, but Arkansas was not done feasting on the Aggies. McLaughlin hit a 2-run homer for the Hogs in the bottom of the seventh, which widened the gap further. Diggs would then earn himself another RBI single to push the home team ahead even further.
Rounding out scoring on the day was Bohrofen, with an RBI single to center field to make the game’s final score 10-4 in favor of the Razorbacks. With the defeat, A&M loses the series, but will look for something to bring back home in the final game against Arkansas on Saturday, April 29, with first pitch set for 11 a.m.