COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Trailing 10-1 in the sixth inning, the No. 5 Texas A&M baseball team embarked on the biggest come-from-behind victory in Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park history Tuesday night as the Aggies defeated Northwestern State 14-10 in front of 3,506 fans.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “That win right there ought to take us a long way. There shouldn’t be another moment this season that we don’t think we can come back. I’m really proud of our team.”
Junior left fielder Brandon Wood led the charge offensively, ending his night with a career-high four hits and four RBI including a pair of two-run singles, the last coming in the bottom of the seventh to give the Aggies their first lead at 12-10
Long before the late-inning dramatics, the night got off to a disappointing start for the Aggies as Northwestern State was able to put up a seven-spot in the top of the second inning, chasing A&M starter Jason Freeman.
Sophomore centerfielder Krey Bratsen got the Aggies on the board with an RBI ground out in the bottom of the second, but the Demons struck back in the visitor’s side of the fourth as third baseman Nick Hinojos hit his second three-run home run of the night to give NSU a 10-1 advantage.
The tide of the evening changed in the home half of the sixth when the Aggies sent 14 men to the plate and put up eight runs on five hits. The inning featured two-run base knocks from junior shortstop Mikey Reynolds and Wood along with single RBI from Bratsen, Blake Allemand, Matt Juengel and Mitchell Nau.
Allemand highlighted a group of several Aggie freshman who were key contributors in the victory as the Boerne, Texas, product went 3-for-4 at the plate.
Still trailing 10-9, Texas A&M went back to work in the home half of the seventh and got an RBI single from Juengel to knot the two sides at 10 runs apiece. Wood completed the amazing rally later in the frame as he scored two runs by singling up the middle off NSU reliever Mason Melotakis (0-1). Senior first baseman Jacob House stole home later in the inning with the help of a great decoy rundown by Wood between first and second.
Following a scoreless top of the eighth thrown by A&M reliever Kyle Martin (1-1), senior Scott Arthur gave the Aggies an insurance run by completing a successful bunt during a suicide squeeze.
The comeback tops Texas A&M’s previous record that came when it erased a 9-1 home deficit to defeat Rice, 10-9, on April 14, 1998.
The Aggies and Demons are back in action Wednesday afternoon as they complete the quick two-game series with a 3:05 p.m. contest. Texas A&M will send freshman RHP Corey Ray (0-0, 0.00) to the mound to face NSU lefty Andrew Adams (0-1, 9.00).