COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies used a nine-run sixth inning to put the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros away in a 16-7 triumph Tuesday evening on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Texas A&M (10-3) took advantage of two UTRGV errors early in the sixth inning to score nine runs, eight unearned. Cole Bedford had two RBI singles in the inning. Other features of the frame were a two-run double by Logan Foster and an RBI double by Blake Kopetsky. Jorge Gutierrez, Braden Shewmake and Joel Davis each plated runs with base-hits and Austin Homan pushed a run across with a squeeze bunt. Six of the runs in the frame came with two outs.
The Vaqueros (10-3) drew first blood in the top of the first inning. Jose Garcia started the frame with a six-pitch walk and Austin Siener followed with an infield single. Garcia moved to third on a deep ball by Ivan Estrella and came around to score when rightfielder Foster’s throw skipped by the third baseman.
The Aggies pounced on UTRGV for four runs in the home half of the first. Nick Choruby singled up the middle and Foster reached on a fielding error by second baseman Siener to start the frame. Shewmake slapped a single to centerfield to plate Choruby with the equalizer. Shewmake stole second base and Davis was issued a base on balls to fill the bags with Ags.
Kopetsky pushed a run across with a fielder’s choice groundout to second to give Texas A&M a 2-1 edge. Kopetsky stole second and Davis drew a walk to reload the bases. Cam Blake punched a single up the middle to plate two, giving Texas A&M a 4-1 lead.
The Vaqueros tied the game with three in the top of the second. Tyler Torres started the inning with a four-pitch walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. A throwing error by Homan on a grounder by Conrad McMahon allowed Torres to score. Jose Garcia followed with a two-run home run to knot the game at 4-4.
Texas A&M reclaimed the edge in the bottom of the second. Foster started the frame with a triple and scored on a Davis groundout to second base, giving the Aggies a 5-4 margin.
UTRGV clawed out a run in the fourth to draw even again. With one out, Jose Garcia doubled to left-center. After walks to Siener and Estrella loaded the bases, Anibal Leal knocked in Garcia with a groundout to second base, tying the score at 5-5.
The Vaqueros wrangled the advantage away in the top of the fifth. Torres drew another leadoff walk, moved to second on a single by Victor Garcia Jr, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by McMahon and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cris Castillo as UTRGV staked claim to a 6-5 edge.
The Aggies used free bases to take the lead back in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Austin Homan was hit by a pitch and went first to third on a wild pitch. Ball four to Nick Choruby was a wild pitch allowing Homan to score the equalizer. Choruby stole second base and moved to third as the catcher’s throw was airmailed into centerfield. Another wild pitch brought Choruby home for the go-ahead run. Texas A&M took a 7-6 lead into the sixth inning when the wheels came off the wagon for the Vaqueros.
Foster went 2-for-3 with one double, one triple, three runs and two RBI. Shewmake, Davis, Kopetsky, Bedford and Blake added two ribbies apiece. Choruby went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Homan put in a yeoman’s effort, going 1-for-1 with one walk, two HBPs, one sacrifice bunt and one stolen base.
In his first career outing, Tristen Bayless picked up a three-inning save. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out four. Cason Sherrod (1-0) earned the victory in relief, scattering one hit and two walks with one strikeout in 1.1 innings. The Aggie pitchers were nearly doomed by nine walks, including five issued to leadoff batters.
Eddie Delgado (1-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing seven runs, five earned, on six hits and five walks while striking out three in 4.2 innings.
Jose Garcia paced the Vaqueros at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one walk, one double, one home run, three runs and two RBI.
The Aggies and Vaqueros return to action Wednesday with a first pitch slated for 3:02 p.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
HEAD COACH ROB CHILDRESS
On the game…
“It certainly wasn’t the cleanest of games. We are not going to apologize for any ugly wins. It could have been easy for us to let that get away and we didn’t do that. I thought the turning point of the game was in the bottom of the fifth. Austin Homan got hit by a pitch and hustled on a wild pitch all the way to third. I thought that gave us some life and energy and we wound up taking the lead there from them in the sixth inning. We had 12 unbelievable at bats in a row, most of the runs coming with two outs. I couldn’t say enough about the offense.”
On Tristen Bayless…
“We got Tristen Bayless in the game and I thought he was really sharp. He settled things down for us in the final three innings. In five of the first six innings we walked the leadoff hitter and we set the frames up for them from the word go, but Tristen came in and he didn’t do that. He did a solid job.”
SENIOR SS AUSTIN HOMAN
On the battle early on…
“UTRGV came out ready to play. You have to tip your hat to them. They put it on us early. Just like Coach Childress said, you have to throw the ball over the plate. Once we started doing that everything kind of clicked for us.”
On going first to third on a wild pitch….
“I think it’s one of those plays that gets the dugout excited. It puts a little energy in there because we might have been a little flat. It’s one of those things where you don’t really plan on it. I just saw the opportunity and took it.”
FRESHMAN LHP TRISTEN BAYLESS
On his day…
“I had about a 25-pitch bullpen session. I didn’t know when I was going in so it was just kind of waiting my turn and getting ready to go out there. I’ve been dying to get out there. It feels amazing, especially with the defense behind me and my teammates, it’s a dream come true.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics