After a tight series defeat against rival No. 1 Texas, Texas A&M baseball regathered its strength with a stress-filled, 13-6 win over Lamar thanks to an eight-RBI, two-home run night from junior second baseman Ben Royo.
A victory did not come easily for the Maroon and White with the talent of Lamar sophomore right fielder Damian Ruiz at the plate, where his batting average and doubles both rank in the top 20 nationally. His leadoff walk in the first inning was the perfect testament to the fear he has struck into opposing batters this season.
The threat of Ruiz’s speed led to an error that advanced the Livingston native to second base, but the Aggies had their own star to calm the waters: freshman right-handed pitcher Gavin Lyons.
Midweek pitching, once a harbinger of doom for the Fightin’ Farmers, has steadied stormy seas with Lyons on the mound. His 1.62 ERA and 2-0 record in seven appearances have resulted in a dominant nine-game midweek winning streak.
But unfortunately for Lyons, it wasn’t a long night for him, as he lasted just 1 ⅔ innings before being relieved by senior RHP Brad Rudis. Once considered one of coach Michael Earley’s most dominant closers, Rudis has seen his fair share of Tuesday competition thanks to a rocky start in Southeastern Conference play.
A familiar face for the Aggies, fans were able to watch Rudis orchestrate a commanding, scoreless appearance in Lyons’s stead, notching a pair of strikeouts in four innings of work. Though it seemed that the Olsen Field faithful were still anxiously awaiting a booming strike from the Aggie offense going into the bottom of the third.
To the delight of the home crowd, Royo made sure the boom was felt 406 feet away from home plate by crushing a two-run homer, good for his seventh of the season. Since being slotted into the starting lineup, the Rice transfer has not looked back with 18 RBIs, including a six-hit weekend in Austin.
Royo’s next at-bat was a sacrifice fly to capture a 3-1 lead for the Maroon and White, but in such a close game, no lead is safe when the meat of the batting order is unable to produce. Luckily for the Aggies, Rudis remained on top of his game, facing the minimum twice.
Rudis’ relief was stout and certain through four innings, but what raised eyebrows was a long-arching ball off the bat of graduate third baseman Wyatt Henseler — a ball met with neither a cheer nor a rousing cry — that is, until it bounced over the left field wall.
Travelling a perfect 375 feet to the appropriately labeled “375” mark of the outfield wall, batter and fielder alike seemed convinced that the ball was staying inside the ball park until the scoreboard greeted Henseler’s 10th home run of the season with a 4-1 lead in favor of A&M.
The scoring party did not end there, however, as an avalanche of walks, hits and an error gave the Maroon and White a bases-loaded opportunity with none other than Royo up to bat with two outs. The Corpus Christi native seemed to enjoy his time in the spotlight, shining in the most crucial moments, none more spectacular than a grand slam down the heart of centerfield for the highlight of an eight-RBI night.
It seemed the home run convention was continuing to extend invitations to the A&M batting order, with sophomore RF Caden Sorrell joining in the festivities found around the plate. With an echoing scream of the bat, Sorrell one-upped his teammates with the game’s farthest home run: a scorching 107 mph heater travelling 436 feet over the center-field fence.
“He will do anything to help his team and anything to make himself better,” Earley said. “He’s got the nicest swing I’ve seen, and he’s a killer, in the baseball sense. He goes after everything ahead of him.”
On the cusp of run-rule territory, Earley tabbed the duo of freshman RHP Aiden Sims and sophomore left-handed pitcher Kaiden Wilson to handle Lamar’s best. The pair proved to be the winning combination, facing the minimum through the seventh and giving the Aggies a chance toa chance to put the game away — but to no avail.
With A&M unable to deliver the nail in the coffin, Lamar was able to engineer a three-run home run at the top of the eighth in part due to a questionable play that was not reviewed by the officiating crew. Tempers flew as Earley was ejected, and the game went its full nine innings.
“I may have overreacted, but every pitch matters, and you can tell that every pitch matters to this team,” Earley said. “I may have lost my cool, but my guys picked me up, and I know every game means the same.”
Resilience has been the common theme throughout the recent resurgence of A&M’s 2025 campaign, a trait displayed by freshman LHP Caden McCoy when he stopped the Cardinals’ bases-loaded advance, keeping the score 10-6.
With momentum building for the visitors, Sorrell vowed to stay consistent in the face of adversity. Facing a 2-0 count with Henseler aboard, the star sophomore delivered a 403-foot bomb into right center field, where a dazed Cardinal defender failed to steal Sorrell’s moment away as the lead grew to 12-6 for the Aggies.
Now with a generous helping of insurance runs, McCoy looked to secure victory for the Maroon and White in the top of the ninth. After torching through his first batter, the freshman lefty reaffirmed the confidence Earley has in him when he struck out the last batter, nailing the save and a 13-6 win.
The Aggies next begin a three-game homestand versus No. 2 LSU, starting with a 6 p.m. showdown on May 2.
