Story by Thomas Dick, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Logan Britt clubbed a full-count offering off the scoreboard in leftfield to give the Texas A&M Aggies a walk-off win, completing the series sweep of the Fordham Rams with a 5-4 victory Sunday afternoon on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Trailing 4-3 in the ninth inning, Dylan Rock punched a single up the middle to bring Britt to the plate as the go-ahead run. With the count full, Britt fouled off three pitches before his titanic blast to ended the game.
Texas A&M trailed 4-1 after Fordham posted three runs in the top of the seventh, but the Aggies responded with two in the home half of the frame to set up the ninth-inning heroics. The A&M seventh featured a Britt double to put two runners in scoring position. Kole Kaler knocked one in with a groundout and Bost plated Britt with a single to rightfield.
Britt finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, one double and one RBI. Brett Minnich added a solo home run in the sixth inning to tie the game 1-1.
Chris Cortez (1-0) picked up the win in relief, needing just 11 pitches to work 2.0 hitless blank frames. In his first start in Aggieland, Ryan Prager worked 4.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out three.
The Aggies improved to 3-0 on the season while Fordham ended the weekend on the opposite side of the ledger at 0-3.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Logan Britt – 2-for-4, 1 double, one home run, two runs, two RBI
Jack Moss – 2-for-4
Chris Cortez – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K – 11 pitches
GAME SUMMARY
T5 | Andy Semo was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Will Findlay. After Jack Harnisch drew a five-pitch walk, Ryan Meyer stroked a single to leftfield to break the scoring seal. Ford 1, A&M 0.
B6 | With two outs, Brett Minnich launched a 1-0 offering over the centerfield wall. Ford 1, A&M 1.
T7 | Jason Coules was hit by a pitch to start the inning and was replaced at first base by Semo who blooped a fielder’s choice down the rightfield line. Findlay laced a single through the left side and Harnisch hit a grounder to shortstop to put runners on the corners. Meyer drew a walk to load the bases. Walker Zander relieved Jacob Palisch on the mound for A&M and was greeted rudely by Sebastian Mexico who gapped a double to right-center to clear the bases. Ford 4, A&M 1.
B7 | With one out, Kalae Harrison drew a six-pitch walk and Logan Britt doubled to left-center to put two runners in scoring position. Kole Kaler knocked in Harrison with a grounder to first and Austin Bost plated Britt with a single to rightfield. Jack Harnisch roped a leadoff single to rightfield and Andy Semo singled to leftfield. Casey Brown followed with a pinch-hit double down the leftfield line to break the scoring seal. Ford 4, A&M 3.
B9 | Dylan Rock punched a single up the middle over the outstretched glove of a leaping, shifted Fordham second baseman. Britt worked a full count, then fouled off three pitches and ended the game with a home run to leftfield.. A&M 5, Ford 4.
UP NEXT
The Aggies return to the Corner of Bush and Olsen on Tuesday when they host Lamar in a 6:32 p.m. contest.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle
On his first taste of Olsen Magic…
“It certainly feels a lot better on this side of the field. Our at-bats weren’t very good early in the game, some of that’s baseball, and obviously give credit to Fordham. They did a better job throwing strikes than we did. Cortez did a heck of a job to keep it right where it was… Thankful that it was a south wind today and not a north wind.”
On choosing to go for it in the 9th inning…
Yeah, we are not going to bunt it. We are trying to win the ballgame. In that scenario… He had already hit a double off the same pitcher in his previous at bat and I looked out and saw the Texas and the American flags blowing straight out, so we are just going to take our chances there.”
Freshman Pitcher Ryan Prager
On experiencing Olsen Magic for the first time…
“First time out here at Olsen in a live game setting was awesome. It was an awesome chance to feel the 12th Man behind you and really experience what it is all about… You hear “Olsen Magic” and you don’t really understand it until you really experience it and live it. It was unbelievable.”
Sophomore outfielder Logan Britt
On his winning home run…
“I knew he could not make that pitch consistently, and that he was going to make a mistake eventually. I had to be on time and hammer it.”
On Olsen Magic…
“It was electric, Olsen Magic. It was the first taste for the new guys and I am glad they got to experience that.”