COLLEGE STATION, Texas –The No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies scored six runs in the last three innings, but it wasn’t enough to erase a 10-run deficit as the Maroon and White dropped an 11-7 decision to the Kentucky Wildcats Sunday on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Texas A&M (14-7, 0-3 SEC) were powered by the bottom of the order. Eight-hole hitter Cole Bedford batted 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs. Nine-hole hitter George Janca was 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs and three RBI.
Trailing by 10 runs, Texas A&M mounted a rally in the home half of the seventh. With one out, Bedford gapped a double to left-center and Janca flared a single to leftfield, driving Kentucky starter Justin Lewis from the game. With Colton Cleary on the mound, Choruby pushed a run across with an infield single and Braden Shewmake knocked in two with a single through the right side to cut the Wildcat advantage to 11-4.
In the eighth inning, Jorge Gutierrez reached on an infield single with one out and, with two outs, Bedford doubled to leftfield. Janca got ahead in the count 3-1 before unleashing his first career home run, a three-run shot, to leftfield, trimming the UK edge to 11-7.
The Aggies were unable to sustain the charge in the ninth, going down in order.
The Wildcats pounced on Aggies for two runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, Tristen Pompey worked a five-pitch walk and Kole Cottam singled to left. After Mitchell Kilkenny got Luke Becker to swing and miss on strike three for the second out, Riley Mahan hit a wall-banger to centerfield to drive in both runners for the 2-0 lead.
The Aggies responded with a run in the home half of the first. Leadoff batter Nick Choruby was issued a base on balls and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Homan. After Shewmake flew out for the second out of the inning Logan Foster slapped a single to centerfield, plating Choruby.
Kentucky (15-6, 3-0 SEC) stacked up three more runs in the top of the second. Troy Squires singled to left and an error on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Marshall put runners on the corners with no outs. Connor Heady put down a squeeze bunt to knock in Squires. Carson, Pompey and Cottam strung together three consecutive singles with the last two driving each driving in a run to inflate the Wildcats’ cushion to 5-1.
The Wildcats strung the lead out to 11-1 with one run in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the seventh.
Kilkenny (2-1) struggled in the start, allowing five runs, four earned on seven hits and one walk while striking three in 1.1 innings.
Lewis (3-1) earned the victory going 6.1 innings, yielding three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four in 6.1 innings.
The Aggies return to action Tuesday as they host the Rice Owls in a 6:02 pm contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress
Aggie LHP Kaylor Chafin
Aggie 3B George Janca
Aggie C Cole Bedford
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics