Story by Katy Gallaher, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M Aggies got out to a five-run lead in the first inning, ultimately leading to a dominant 9-3 victory against the Lamar Cardinals Tuesday night on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
A&M moves to 4-0 on the season while Lamar drops to 2-2. The Maroon & White are now 36-7 in the all-time series, advancing their winning streak since 2001 against the Cardinals to nine. This win marks their second-longest of the series, behind an 11-win stretch from 1987-93.
The Maroon & White’s first inning was led by Jack Moss, who broke the scoring seal with a sacrifice fly, sending Kole Kaler home. Austin Bost doubled to left center, allowing Dylan Rock to score for the Aggies. Bost joined him after Brett Minnich hit a single to right field. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Ryan Targac hit a two-run dinger, bringing Minnich and himself home to complete the five-run inning. The quick start put the momentum in A&M’s hands, outscoring the Cardinals 4-3 the rest of the way.
Targac went 2-for-4 on the night with one run and two doubles. The sophomore’s home run in the first inning was his first of the season. Bost was another notable hitter Tuesday evening, racking up a trio of hits in five at-bats, with two doubles and an RBI. The Maroon & White hit 12-for-36 on the night, amassing a .333 average as a team.
Khristian Curtis (1-0) made his Aggieland debut, pitching for 4.0 innings. Curtis allowed three hits and held the Cardinals scoreless, fanning two batters in the process. In relief, the Maroon & White got 5.0 innings of work out of four pitchers, with Brad Rudis collecting 2.0 innings of work and allowing one hit with two strikeouts.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Khristian Curtis – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Austin Bost – 3-for-5, 2 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Ryan Targac – 2-for-4, 2B, HR, R
GAME SUMMARY
B1 | Kaler reached on a leadoff walk. Rock followed with a double down rightfield line to put two runners in scoring position. Moss broke the scoring seal with a sacrifice fly, sending Kaler home. Bost doubled to left center allowing Rock to advance the score for the Aggies. Bost joined him after Minnich hit a single to rightfield. With two outs, Targac hit a two-run dinger, bringing Minnich and himself home to end the five-run inning. A&M 5, LU 0
B3 | Troy Claunch singled up the middle right after Minnich doubled to left center, sending Minnich home. Logan Britt’s RBI grounded out to third base, completing Claunch’s journey. A&M 7, LU 0
B5 | Bost tripled to right-center and was sent home by Minnich grounding out to first base. A&M 8, LU 0
T6 | Chase Kemp got out on a leadoff walk. With two outs after Josh Blankenship’s RBI double down the left-field line, Kemp arrived back at home plate. A&M 8, LU 1
T7 | Ben MacNaughton singled to second base. With one out after Reese Durand’s RBI grounded out to the shortstop, MacNaughton made it around the bases. Kevin Bermudez started with a double to left field and made it to home plate with two outs after Kemp grounded out to third base. A&M 8, LU 3
B8 | Kalae Harrison doubled to right-center and advanced to third on an error by the pitcher, who failed a pickoff attempt. Kaler’s RBI singled through the right side, sending Harrison home. A&M 9, LU 3
UP NEXT
Texas A&M baseball is set to compete against the Penn Quakers in a weekend series on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25 with the series concluding on Sunday, Feb. 27.