The No. 5 Texas A&M Aggies held an edge on Lamar until the Cardinals erupted for a four-run seventh inning, propelling LU to a 7-4 win against Lamar Tuesday night on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
A&M (3-1) is now 36-8 in the all-time series after winning nine straight vs the Cardinals (4-0) since 2001.
The Aggies will look to get back into the win column on Friday when they open a three-game series vs Portland at Blue Bell Park.
The Aggies got solid bullpen work from freshmen Ty Sexton and Shane Sdao, along with sophomore Robert Hogan; however, it was Matt Dillard who was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs in the decisive seventh inning.
The first two pitchers of the night for Lamar gave up two runs apiece, but the Cardinals used four more relievers to put up a scoreless final 4.2 innings of work. Foster Kreuzer got the win with 1.2 innings of work, and Jackson Cleveland punched out one in a perfect ninth for his second save of the year.
Ryan Snell provided the bulk of the offense for Lamar, homering twice, including a three-run homer in the seventh to give the Cardinals the lead for good.
The Maroon & White got on the board in the bottom of the third inning as Jordan Thompson sent a long ball to left field. Jack Moss singled to left field to ensure Max Kaufer made it to home plate, putting the Aggies up by two.
The Aggies added another pair of runs as Jack Moss’ RBI walk sent Thomson trotting home, and Austin Bost’s sacrifice fly added another run by Kaeden Kent.
Texas A&M was unable to cross the plate again in the game. Lamar was able to tack on four more runs in the seventh and one in the last inning to further their lead.
Sexton made his Aggie debut on the mound, striking out a pair in 2.1 scoreless innings. Fellow freshman Kaeden Kent got his first start of the year and delivered a pair of hits, while Moss drove in a pair.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Kaeden Kent – 2-for-4, 1 R
Jordan Thompson – 1-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI
Jack Moss – 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Ty Sexton – 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Shane Sdao – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
GAME SUMMARY
B3 | A&M 2, LU 0
Jordan Thompson hit a dinger to left field to put the Aggies on the board. Jack Moss’ RBI single to left field sent Max Kaufer to home plate but he was tagged out trying to get to second, ending the inning.
T4 | A&M 2, LU 2
Lamar answered as Ryan Snell homered to left field. After being hit by a pitch, Tanner Wilson stole second and made it home after Ben MacNaughton’s RBI single up the middle.
B5 | A&M 4, LU 2
With bases loaded, Jack Moss walked and sent Thompson to trot to home plate. Austin Bost’s RBI sac fly to center field allowed Kaeden Kent to finish his journey around the bases.
T7 | LU 6, A&M 4
Josh Blankenship reached on a fielder’s choice to also send Kevin Bermudez home. Snell once again hit a home run, bringing Blankenship and Kanin Dodge along with him to home plate.
T8 | LU 7, A&M 4
Bermudez doubled down the third-base line and scored a run after Jack Schell’s sac fly.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M baseball is set to compete against Portland in this weekend’s series on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle
On what went wrong…
“We just got outplayed, outhit and they made better pitches than us. I never felt like we really pressured them, we had bases loaded and got only two out of it. We will be fine. There is no doubt about it, but we learned a lot about Sexton tonight and a lot of other guys that we threw in there.”
Senior center fielder Jordan Thompson
On the plan for the younger players…
“Just keep pushing. We know that we are going to face tough teams and get hit hard because we have a target on our backs from last year. But all the boys that went to the tournament last year know and let the younger ones know that we have to keep pushing and take it one game at a time.”
Credit to 12thman.com