Story by Thomas Dick, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – With bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Aggie southpaw Chandler Jozwiak needed just eight pitches to strike out the Razorbacks’ No. 2 and 3 hitters, sealing Texas A&M’s 11-10 victory over No. 1 Arkansas in Sunday’s series finale at Baum-Walker Stadium.
After quickly working through the eighth inning, Trevor Werner got into trouble in the ninth, walking the first two Razorbacks. After a bang-bang play at first base resulted in a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning, the Aggies put Arkansas’s leadoff man aboard with an intentional walk and called on Jozwiak to get the last two outs.
Matt Goodheart looked at the first two pitches to fall behind 0-2 before Jaws blew strike three by him on a swing-and-miss. After a first pitch ball to Cayden Wallace, Jozwiak pumped in two strikes. Wallace fouled off the first pitch before coming up empty on the last pitch of the game.
The game started as a see-saw battle with the lead changing hands four times in the first five innings. The Maroon & White gained the upper hand with a two-run fifth and four-run sixth to build a 10-4 advantage that Arkansas eventually whittled down to one run, 11-10, with three-run frames in the sixth and seventh.
One day after scoring in just one of 18 innings, the Aggies put up runs in six of the first seven frames. The Aggies got the leadoff man aboard in five innings and were 17-of-26 in advancement opportunities.
Aggie starting pitcher Nathan Dettmer labored through 4.0 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four. Werner (2-0) earned the win with 1.1 scoreless frames. Jozwiak picked up his fifth save of the season.
Texas A&M improved to 21-17 overall and 4-11 in SEC play. Arkansas dropped to 30-6 overall and 11-4 in league action.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Will Frizzell – 3-for-4, 1 walk, 1 HR, 3 runs, 3 RBI
Mikey Hoehner – 2-for-5, 1 run, 2 RBI
Hunter Coleman – 1-for-3, 2 walks, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Chandler Jozwiak – 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
SCORING SUMMARY
T1 | With two outs, Will Frizzell pounded a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left-center for a solo home run. A&M 1, ARK 0.
B2 | Casey Opitz drew a six-pitch walk to start the frame and with one out Zack Gregory drew a base on balls. The Aggies were unable to turn an inning-ending double play on Robert Moore’s grounder to short, putting runners on the corners, and Matt Goodheart drew a free pass to load the bases. Cayden Wallace hit a ball just inches from the grasp of diving leftfielder Logan Sartori for a two-run double. Goodheart came home to score when Wallace’s run to third base took him into the path of Aggie third baseman Bryce Blaum giving Brady Slavens an RBI infield single. ARK 3, A&M 1.
T3 | Kalae Harrison punched a leadoff single through the left side and Ray Alejo was hit by a pitch. Harrison wound up at third when Logan Sartori was unable to get a sacrifice bunt down and then grounded into a double play. Frizzell drove a single into centerfield to score Harrison. ARK 3, A&M 2.
T4 | Minnich threaded a leadoff single through the right side and Ty Coleman reached on a fielding error by the shortstop. Blaum moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt and Mikey Hoehner knocked them both in with a single to right-center. A&M 4, ARK 3.
B4 | With one out, Moore hit a solo home run. A&M 4, ARK 4.
T5 | Sartori was hit by a pitch and Frizzell and Hunter Coleman drew walks to fill the bags with Ags with no outs. Minnich knocked in Sartori with a sacrifice fly to the wall and Ty Coleman scored Frizzell with a groundout to short. A&M 6, ARK 4.
T6 | Hoehner started the frame with a single to rightfield and Sartori drew a two-out walk. Frizzell rapped a single to rightfield to score Hoehner and Hunter Coleman followed with a three-run home run to leftfield. A&M 10, ARK 4.
B6 | With one out, Gregory doubled to centerfield and Moore drew a five-pitch walk. Goodheart hit a 0-1 pitch over the rightfield wall for a three-run home run. A&M 10, ARK 7.
T7 | With one out, Blaum reached on an infield single, moved to second on a groundout by Hoehner and scored when Harrison lined a single to rightfield. A&M 11, ARK 7.
B7 | Cullen Smith was hit by a pitch and Opitz walked to strat the frame. A grounder to shortstop by Battles pushed both runners into scoring position and Gregory hit a home run into the visitor’s bullpen down the rightfield line for a three-run home run. A&M 11, ARK 10.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to action Tuesday when they host the Texas Southern Tigers in a 6:32 p.m. contest on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.