The last sweep for the Aggie baseball team came in March, at the beginning of SEC play, against Auburn. On Sunday A&M did it again, earning an 8-7 win over Tennessee to complete a road sweep against the Volunteers on the road.
The win moves A&M into a tie for first place in the SEC West with LSU.
Sunday afternoon was another up-and-down game in a weekend series full of them. Thanks to another big day from Mitchell Nau, who had a strong weekend, and Logan Taylor, the Aggies won to complete the clean sweep.
A&M got started with two quick runs in the top of the first inning, thanks to a two-run double from Taylor, to gain an early 2-0 lead. Tennessee (18-24, 7-17 SEC) would have a huge four-run fourth inning to take the lead, and led 5-2 after four frames. Taylor was 4-for-5 on the day with two RBIs.
A&M (41-7, 16-7 SEC) began its comeback in the fifth inning, posting two runs to shave the Tennessee lead to 5-4. A&M would assert itself in the seventh inning, posting its own four-run inning to take an 8-5 lead. Nau, JB Moss and Nick Banks all had RBIs in the inning, with Moss earning two on a bases-loaded single.
Nau led the Aggies all weekend, going 6-for-10 with seven RBIs, including the game-winner Friday. Blake Allemand also had a stellar weekend, going 7-for-11 at the plate.
On the mound, Andrew Vinson earned the win. He pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run and three hits. Kent picked up his second straight save as well.
The series got started with a roller-coaster affair Friday that ended with the Aggies on top in a 6-5 win. Mitchell Nau had the game’s key hit in the ninth inning to put A&M ahead for good. Mark Ecker earned the win on the mound, pitching 1 2/3 innings, giving up only one hit in the outing.
Saturday, the Aggies started slow, but behind another big hit from Mitchell Nau they won a 6-1 affair. Tennessee struck early, leading 1-0 into the fourth. However, after Banks tied the game 1-1, Nau came up with a three-run double in the fifth inning to gain a 4-1 lead. Two more RBIs from Hunter Melton and Ronnie Gideon made it a 6-1 lead for A&M. Ryan Hendrix won his first career game as a starter, working six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, while striking out five on the night. Matt Kent struck out six of the last nine batters to earn his first save of the year.
The Aggies will take a break from mid-week action this week. They will prepare for their final home SEC series of the season this weekend against the South Carolina Gamecocks.