As the SEC race comes down to the wire this weekend, the Aggies had one final mid-week test with Sam Houston State. After a great pitching weekend and series win over South Carolina, it was perceived the Aggies would roll on their way to a huge final SEC series with Ole Miss.
However, perception is different from reality.
The Aggie pitching staff struggled mightily, A&M’s offense looked sluggish and Sam Houston State upended the No. 2 ranked Aggies by a final score of 5-0.
“We wanted to get that bad taste out of our mouth after losing to South Carolina,” Banks said. “We came out and they were just the better team today.”
Sam Houston State (34-19, 21-6 Southland) wasted no time attacking Aggie starter Tyler Ivey. In the second inning following back-to-back singles, Robie Rojas punched an RBI single to left field to give the Bearkats a 1-0 lead.
Later that inning, Taylor Beene would manage an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 2-0 after two frames.
As mentioned, it was a long night for the Aggie pitching staff. Starter Tyler Ivey lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. Behind him, Jace Vines, Mitchell Kilkenny and Corbin Martin slowed down the bleeding, allowing one earned run on five hits combined.
The Bearkat barrage continued in the third inning. With a man on following a single, Zach Smith smashed a two-run dinger to right field and gave Sam Houston State a 4-0 cushion.
Dakota Mills turned in a stellar night on the mound. The junior righty pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on six hits while striking out four. Even behind him, Miles Manning held A&M (39-12, 18-9 SEC) to one hit in 2 1/3 innings of relief duty.
“You have to tip your cap to [Mills],” Nick Banks said. “He pitched a heck of a game…we took great swings here and there, they just did not fall when we needed them to but that’s baseball. We just have to rebound and have a good practice tomorrow.”
Sam Houston State had chances to blow the game open, but the defense kept the Bearkats quiet for the most part when they gained momentum.
“Our defense kept us in the game,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “We were one big inning away from being in the game.”
Following a walk and single in the eighth, Robie Rojas delivered his second RBI of the day to extend the advantage to 5-0 Bearkats.
All-in-all, the Aggie offense managed just six hits, with Nick Choruby and Banks accounting for two apiece. The Aggies went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-8 with runners on base. The Bearkats also outhit the Aggies by a 10 to 7 margin.
It is the first time A&M has been shutout since May 20, 2014 and the first time they have been shutout at home since February 21 of the same year. It is the Bearkats four win over A&M in the last four seasons.
Next up, the Aggies host sixth ranked Ole Miss for a crucial weekend series beginning Thursday evening.