Following a come-from-behind 4-2 victory Friday night, Texas A&M baseball showcased its offensive capability in run-rule fashion thanks to strong at-bats from junior outfielder Jace LaViolette and freshman outfielder Terrence Kiel II.
“It was a breath of fresh air to get back out there and perform. Our best baseball is far, far in front of us,” LaViolette said. “We got to go back to our roots, take care of those strikeouts and establish ourselves. Today we actually got to come out and just play baseball.”
Starting on the mound was junior left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin, who got right to work in his first action of the year. He retired the top of the order starting with senior outfielder Kenny Mallory Jr. in four pitches, but the following two batters took advantage of Lamkin’s early-season jitters, knocking back-to-back singles into the outfield.
With a man on first and second base, the Corpus Christi native responded with another four-pitch strikeout for the second out. Elon would answer back with an RBI single response from redshirt junior catcher Alex Duffey, bringing the score to 1-0. A fourth hit from junior infielder Jackson Alford led to a bases-loaded, two-out situation for the Aggies. A third strikeout ended the top of the inning for Elon, but not before a walk-in run put A&M in an early 2-0 hole.
Attempting to spark the A&M offensive after a sophomore third baseman Gavin Grahovac flyout, junior center fielder Jace LaViollete did what he does best with his at-bat opportunities and hit a home run, going yard for the first time this season with a 358-footer hit deep into right field.
Graduate second baseman Wyatt Henseler would make it two straight hits allowed by Elon, recording his second hit of the year into shallow left field. Now with a man on first, graduate designated hitter Hayden Schott notched his own monster home run, driving the ball 413ft into center field and grabbing a 3-2 lead for the Aggies in the bottom of the first.
Lamkin appeared rattled in his first start, giving up a lead-off double to begin the top of the second. A sacrifice fly evened the score with two outs, and with a full count looming, Lamkin retired a third batter to usher in the bottom of the second.
Two quick outs by the Aggies put sophomore catcher Bear Harrison on the plate, whose flyout kept the game tied at three going to the top of the third.
“It’s not that I like these close games,” coach Mike Earley said, “but it gives us an opportunity to show what we’re made of and take care of business.”
Lamkin remained on the mound for the Maroon and White despite an up-and-down performance in the first two innings, weathering a storm of full-counts and foul balls to pick up his seventh K and give the Aggies their first clean inning.
Grahovac avenged his initial flyout with a single into shallow left field, challenging LaViolette to remain on his hot streak. A five-pitch walk got the Katy man on base for the second time, and A&M was due to deal some damage.
Two straight strikeouts delegated that responsibility to senior left fielder Gavin Kash, who managed a single to load the bases. All eyes were now on redshirt sophomore first baseman Blake Binderup and his 10-pitch battle on the plate. The battle was won, as Binderup was walked and a subsequent wild pitch scored two runs for the Aggies.
Still with two outs, freshman right fielder Terrence Kiel II scored his first collegiate runs with a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 7-3 as the third inning came to a close.
Lamkin finally found his groove in the fourth inning, striking out two batters while a groundout made it a 1-2-3 effort for the Aggie defense.
A fifth-inning pitching change was all Grahovac needed to blast the first home run of his sophomore campaign 390ft into center field as bubbles flew through Olsen Field. Schott was left stranded after his two-out single was followed by a third flyout, and the Aggies prepared for the late innings.
The A&M pitching change to redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Luke Jackson brought with it a surging Elon. A couple of issued free passes provided the Phoenix the opportunity to cash in on two errors, scoring three runs before a double play made it an 8-6 game heading into the bottom of the fifth.
A one-out single to right field for junior shortstop Kaeden Kent was complimented by another Kiel hit into left field as Harrison looked to add some insurance to the Aggies’ lead. Instead, the Saint Mary’s transfer was walked to load the bases, and another Elon pitching change looked to provide damage control.
The relief from freshman LHP Tommy Mitchell looked to contain the firepower from the Aggie batting order, but two walk-in runs and a two-RBI single from Schott kept the Phoenix searching for answers following Mitchell’s short-lived appearance on the mound.
A relief effort from sophomore RHP Isaac Morton got off to a rocky start to begin the sixth inning, but thanks to a pair of flyouts, the Aggies’ 12th strikeout was all that it took to strand two of the Phoenix on the corners and usher in the bottom of the sixth.
“A big thing was getting my confidence back,” Morton said. “It’s a lot to bounce back from mentality but once I got my groove back, things became a lot easier.
Kent’s fourth at-bat appearance had the Austin native reach on a dropped grounder and thanks to an outfield flop by Elon, A&M was back in business with the bases loaded with just one out. LaViolette took kindly to this opportunity, belting a 420-foot grand slam to center field for his second home run of the game. At the end of the sixth, the Aggies threatened to run-rule their adversaries 16-6.
Elon would not go quietly into the night despite facing two outs as Morton’s issued walk and another dropped grounder by Binderup had men at the corners, both of which itching to extend the game. This would be an exercise in futility, though, as a strikeout doomed a chance for more innings, ending the game early with a 16-6 victory for A&M.
The Aggies play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m at Olsen Field.
