A back-and-forth battle in the box led to a tie game in the top of the ninth and a chance for the Aggies to secure their second win against a top-10 opponent.
Texas A&M’s baseball team secured the second win of its three-game series against No. 8 LSU on March 19 and its second conference win of the season. The Aggies put together 15 strikeouts and 12 hits in the 11-7 win at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
This marked the second time in the past two days that A&M assembled double-digit hits against a conference opponent, the first coming the day before with 10 against LSU on March 18.
Sophomore infielder Ryan Targac was just a double and a home run shy of hitting for the cycle after hitting a perfect 3-3 — one triple and two singles — in the win against the Tigers.
“Obviously, [it was] a great day for everybody,” Targac said. “I went 3-for-3 at the plate and had a couple of walks. Honestly, [I] just had to do my job and help my team out, and we came out with a dub.”
Targac showcased his wheels with four stolen bases, including one late in the game that sparked a four-run rally and a confident lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
“Just getting the win today was awesome,” Targac said. “[LSU’s] desperate to get one back, but the train is rolling, and it’s not going to stop.”
As for the mound, three pitchers for A&M recorded three or more strikeouts in the win against the Tigers.
First, junior starting pitcher Micah Dallas recorded six strikeouts in the first four innings on 75 pitches thrown. Junior Joseph Menefee came in afterward to relieve the starter, sitting down six more Tigers in three innings. Freshman Robert Hogan came in at the end of the eighth, sat one down and struck out the remaining two in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win.
A&M coach Jim Schlosnnagle said, despite struggling in past showings, Hogan was able to do his job at the end of the game and secure A&M its 12th win of the season.
“Really proud of Hogan,” Schlossnagle said. “Hasn’t been a guy who has thrown a lot of strikes for us, but we feel like he has got a lot of upside.”
Game 3 of A&M’s three-game series against No. 8 LSU starts at 2 p.m. in Baton Rouge at Alex Box Stadium on March 20.