Texas A&M baseball beat New Mexico State 7-1 on Sunday in Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park to cap off the weekend sweep and extend the Aggies’ win streak to five games.
A&M’s allowance of one run and six hits on Sunday made for only two allowed runs and 14 allowed hits over the three-game stretch. Redshirt freshman Jonathan Childress received the start on the mound where he struck out 10 batters in six innings pitched, bringing his season record to 1-1 with the win.
“It’s good, you just got to keep the pressure off the pitchers,” senior Mikey Hoehner said. “They’ve done such a good job and have been in such a rhythm this past weekend. So keeping them in that has been a big part of their success and I’m glad I could help out for that.”
After the top of the fifth inning, the score was tied at 1-1. However, in the bottom of the sixth the game opened up in A&M’s favor. With two outs and runners in the corners, New Mexico State made a pitching substitution, bringing Rorik Maltrud into the game. Two A&M runners were walked on eight consecutive balls, loading the bases and bringing a runner in, putting the Aggies ahead 3-1.
Along with the patience displayed on the plate as seven batters were walked by New Mexico State, the Aggies notched 11 hits. Freshman center fielder Logan Britt led the hitting charge with three hits for four RBIs in five at-bats.
“It’s a huge [confidence] boost,” Britt said. “I feel like our offense is really about to take off, we saw a little glimpse of it today. The sky’s the limit with this lineup.”
Subbing in for Childress in the top of the seventh was freshman Mason Ornelas, who held the pressure on the mound. Ornelas struck out one batter and allowed one hit in two innings pitched.
“[The pitchers] are starting to settle into their roles,” Hoehner said. “You get that guys have been through it a couple weekends in a row and now they’re starting to feel comfortable, they’re starting to kind of get used to the routine.”
In the bottom of the eighth inning, A&M drove in three runs. Britt drove in two with a single to center field, expanding the lead to 7-1.
“As [Britt] starts to have success, I think the more confidence he gains, the better player he’s going to be,” A&M coach Rob Childress said. “And be the player with great potential that plays up to that. There’s an awful lot of ‘want to’ out of him and just to have a return on that investment.”
A&M came into the week sitting at 4-4, but showed signs of a trend toward winning after a 2-1 outing in the Round Rock Classic. Rob Childress said there is still no set day-to-day lineup for the Aggies but the team’s pitching has been a significant aid.
“We had a great week,” Rob Childress said. “A 5-0 week is awful tough to do. We had great pitching all week long and some timely hitting. Today, the bottom of the order was outstanding for us from an offensive standpoint.”
Now five games into a 10-game home stand, A&M will take on A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday, March 9 and Prairie View A&M on Wednesday, March 10. Last year against Prairie View A&M, the Aggies scored 30 runs, two runs shy of the school record.