BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A stellar all-around performance propelled the Texas A&M Aggies to a 7-0 shutout of the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders Tuesday evening on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
The Aggies’ offense recorded runs in four different frames. The Maroon & White put up a one-run second, one-run third, three-run fourth and two-run sixth.
Seven Aggies recorded a hit, while five registered at least one RBI. Texas A&M outhit the Islanders, 10-5, improving their record to 9-0 when outhitting their opponents.
Ray Alejo and Kalae Harrison led the team at the plate. Alejo went 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Harrison was 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks, while Logan Britt added two hits of his own.
The Maroon & White racked up their nation-leading fourth shutout of the season. Starter Nathan Dettmer (2-0) earned the win, working 5.1 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and three walks while fanning one. Chandler Jozwiak was called on in relief to close out the sixth. Jozwiak went on to work 2.2 scoreless frames, allowing two hits while striking out six. Chris Farrell produced a 3-up-3-down ninth to nail down the win.
The staff stymied the Islanders’ bats, holding them to 1-for-10 with runners on, 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and 5-for-31 overall.
Keyed by Harrison at short, the Aggies had a stellar defense on a day in which the pitching staff did not record double digits in strikeouts for just the second time in 14 games.
The Maroon & White improved to 10-4 on the season, while extending their winning streak to 13 games over the Islanders.
TOP PLAYERS
Ray Alejo – 3-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI
Kalae Harrison – 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB
Nathan Dettmer – 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Chandler Jozwiak – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
SCORING SUMMARY
B2 | Bryce Blaum drew a two-out base on ball and stole second base. Ryan Targac broke the ice, plating Blaum on a lined single to leftfield. A&M 1, AMCC 0.
B3 | Kalae Harrison drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a Ray Alejo single to leftfield. Alejo moved over to second on the throw to third. Will Frizzell plated Harrison with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. A&M 2, AMCC 0.
B4| Ty Coleman led off with a single down the rightfield line and advanced to second after the ball was misplayed. Blaum pushed Coleman to third on a single up the middle, before Targac brought across one with a groundout. Taylor Smith scored Blaum on a wall-banging double in the left-centerfield gap. Harrison drew his second walk of the day, and Alejo plated the final run of the inning with a lined single to rightfield. A&M 5, AMCC 0.
B6 | With one out, Harrison shot a single through the left side of the infield. Harrison stole second and came in to score on a Alejo lined single to centerfield. Austin Bost drew a walk, before both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Logan Britt proceeded to scored one on an infield single to shortstop. A&M 7, AMCC 0.
UP NEXT
The Aggies continue with midweek action against the Prairie View A&M Panthers Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 6:32 p.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
On the recent fielding success…
“I mean, we did strike out double digits tonight. When you don’t do that, then there’s going to be a lot of more chances defensively. We had those tonight, and I thought, all the way around, maybe the biggest play of the night was Bryce Blaum’s play down the line there in the second inning. That ball gets down, maybe two scores or three. He kept the momentum in our dugout, and we were able to go in and grab the lead and continue to build on it. Kalae (Harrison) had a lot of chances tonight. He was marvelous, and so did the right side of the infield as well.”
Senior OF Ray Alejo
On his approach in the batter’s box tonight…
“I was just trying to look for something that I could put a barrel on. In my first at-bat, I probably saw eight or nine pitches and then grounded out, but that’s my job as a lead-off hitter. I need to see a lot of pitches and see what the pitcher has for the day. It also helped that Kalae (Harrison) had such a great day ahead of me. It makes things a lot easier when that guy is drawing walks and getting base hits with two strikes. There’s a lot less pressure on me when someone is on base and guys are putting together good at-bats throughout the lineup.”