The Texas A&M baseball season had quite the start this weekend, sweeping Holy Cross and scoring 41 runs in the process.
Ronnie Gideon led the charge, ending the three-game sweep with 11 RBIs. He tallied just seven all of last year.
Game three mirrored the first two outings as the Aggies won 6-1 Sunday behind junior pitcher Matt Kent.
Kent pitched for seven innings, only allowing four hits and zero earned runs, while also recording three strikeouts.
“That’s what he did to our hitters all fall long and through January and February,” head coach Rob Childress said. “That’s why he earned the right to be in our rotation. He certainly didn’t disappoint today.”
Turner Larkins and Andrew Vinson came on in relief to finish the Crusader attack. Vinson struck out two of the final three batters to seal the deal.
“I thought our pitching all in all as a whole was the best it has been all weekend long,” Childress said.
Offensively, Gideon led the team. His first-inning three-run homer put the Aggies in the lead for the rest of the game, and by the end of the first inning the scoreboard read 4-1.
Moss also contributed with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave the Aggies their 6-1 lead. Moss was 1-for-2 with 2 RBIs in the win.
The win improves the Aggies to 3-0 on the season. A&M will keep its long homestand going at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night against Stephen F. Austin.
Gideon tipped his hat to the Olsen Field crowds.
“They help us get into the game and help us at the end of the game as well,” Gideon said. “The fans have a lot of energy here and I think that helps us a lot.”
Game 1 of the series took place Friday night. Behind eight RBI from Gideon, the Aggies won 19-2. It was the most runs scored by A&M on Opening Day since 1989.
The Aggies scored 13 runs in the first three innings. A&M had three home runs in those first three innings, hit by Logan Taylor, Ryne Birk and Gideon.
AJ Minter also had a strong opening performance, with seven strikeouts and zero earned runs in five innings on the mound.
Game 2 was not as one-sided as opening night. A&M and Holy Cross went back and forth in a game that included five lead changes.
JB Moss went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and Blake Allemand went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the game. Allemand also had a highlight-reel dive to stop a Holy Cross hit from getting to the outfield and ultimately ending a potential Crusader rally.