COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Braden Shewmake punched an 0-1 pitch up the middle to score Michael Helman from second base in the 11th inning, giving the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies the 3-2 win and series sweep over the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
The Aggies let a 2-0 run lead slip away with the Tide scoring single runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Stephen Kolek was stellar on the mound as the A&M starter. He worked 7.2 innings, yielding one run on three hits and three walks while striking out three. After allowing the tying run, Nolan Hoffman (4-1) rebounded to pick up the win, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out four in 3.1 innings.
Shewmake accounted for both of Texas A&M’s RBI, going 2-for-4 with two walks. Foster hit 3-for-3 with a double and walk. Allonte Wingate batted 2-for-3 off the bench. Helman scored all three runs, going 1-for-3 with one walk and one HBP.
Texas A&M rattled off their sixth consecutive win to improve to 27-9 overall and 8-7 in the SEC. Alabama dropped to 21-16 overall and 5-10 in league play.
NEXT UP
The Aggies return to action Tuesday when they host the Texas State Bobcats in a 6:32 p.m. contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
SCORING SUMMARY
B3 | The Aggies drew first blood in the third inning. With one out, Helman drew a walk off as the first batter reliever Kyle Cameron faced. Logan Foster threaded a single through the left side to put runners on the corners and Shewmake followed with a single down the leftfield line to plate Helman. A&M 1, UA 0.
B5 | Helman served as a rally catalyst again, this time getting hit by a pitch as the leadoff man. Helman moved to second on a single up the middle by Foster. After Shewmake flied out to leftfield, Helman and Foster pulled off the double steal to put two in scoring position. The Aggies scored when Cameron threw the ball wide of third base trying to retire Helman on a bouncer back to the mound by Hunter Coleman.
T8 | The last batter Kolek faced in the game hit a full-count offering over the rightfield fence for a solo home run. A&M 2, UA 1.
T9 | Alabama sent the game to extra innings with a two-out rally. Matt Malkin slapped a first pitch offering through the right side for a single and he was replaced at first base by the speedier Connor Stutts. Pinch-hitter Chandler Avant sent a 1-0 offering over the head of centerfielder Zach DeLoach for a double, knocking in Malkin with the equalizer. A&M 2, UA 2.
B11 | Cam Blake reached base to start the frame on an error by Alabama shortstop Jett Manning. Blake moved to second on a passed ball, but was retired on the base path when Michael Helman bounced a ball back to the mound. Helman stole second base and Will Frizzell drew a six-pitch walk to bring Shewmake to bat. With an 0-1 count, Shewmake drove a ball up the middle for the walkoff win. A&M 3, UA 2.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Assistant Coach Will Bolt
On the sweep and win…
“It was a gut-check win for us. It was a stressful game, but they are all pretty stressful in the SEC. It was really nothing different. When you have a guy like Stephen Kolek on the mound that was filling up the zone the way that he was. He did a great job attacking the strike zone with the wind the way it was.”
On the game…
“It’s all about playing good baseball. We handled the ball well defensively. It was far from perfect but we made a couple base running mistakes that cost us. We weren’t great with runners in scoring position, but it’s the sign of a good team when we can find a way to win. Runs were going to be at a premium today. We got a tough break at the beginning. We just have to keep playing good baseball.”
Sophomore SS Braden Shewmake
On the win…
“It’s always nice to win a conference game and sweep the series. If we go all the way back to the first inning, it started with Stephen (Kolek). He was pounding the zone and didn’t leave much over the plate. Then (Nolan) Hoffman came in and Hoff dealt. He’s an imposing pitcher. We know when he’s on the mound we got a good chance.”
Junior RHP Stephen Kolek
On the outing…
“It felt good to finally have a good outing again. When the wind was blowing in, it’s an ease in your mind. You can throw it over the middle of the plate and say ‘good luck’ to the guys who are trying to hit it out of the ballpark. Tip of the hat to the one guy who did. The whole game, I was just trying to fill up the strike zone and rely on the wind to knock the balls down, let our defense work, That’s exactly what they did. The defense was amazing and I can’t ask for anything more.”
Junior RHP Nolan Hoffman
On clinching the sweep…
“Yeah it is really big, Stephen Kolek came out and pitched a great game. You could tell that he really wanted this one and he just wanted to prove that he is still the guy we know he is. To get the sweep was big for us. Getting over .500 now is really big in conference.
On pitching a lot these last couple of days…
“I’m just ready to go every day and if they call upon me, I’ll be ready to go. It is nice pitching a lot.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics