News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M baseball team bashed 13 hits and four home runs en route to a 21-1 run-rule victory in seven innings over Incarnate Word Tuesday night in midweek action at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Freshman Gavin Lyons (2-0) earned the win after tossing four innings of one-hit baseball to go along with two strikeouts. In eight innings of work this season, the right-hander has not allowed a run and has limited opponents to only two hits. In relief, Jackson Brasseux and Grant Cunningham also worked a scoreless inning each in the victory.
Jace LaViolette led the offensive attack as the junior went 2-for-4 at the dish to go along with two homers and a career-best seven RBI. The multi-homer game marked second of the year for LaViolette and 12th of his career. Blake Binderup followed with a career-best five RBI on 1-of-2 hitting, while Ben Royo drove in a career-high tying four runs with a 2-for-3 performance.
After a scoreless first, the Aggies (14-14) broke the game open in the second with a seven-run frame. Binderup jumpstarted the offense with a three-run blast to left that traveled 415 feet and left the bat at 105 mph. Later in the inning, LaViolette lifted a grand slam to Section 12 in right as the lead grew to 7-0.
The junior’s second grand slam of the season left the bat at 100 mph and traveled 348 feet with a 43 degree launch angle.
In the third, the Maroon & White tacked on 11 more runs on five hits and seven walks to extend their advantage to 18-0. Royo tallied the first runs of the frame with a three-run homer that traveled 426 feet to left center. The long ball marked the junior’s third in the last five games.
Three batters later, LaViolette launched a three-run homer to the train tracks in right that traveled 403 feet and left the bat at 108 mph. After Texas A&M added two more runs via RBI walks from Binderup and Royo, a pair of wild pitches from the Cardinals (13-18) stretched the lead to 17-0. An RBI single from Terrence Kiel II rounded out the scoring in the frame for the Aggies.
After Texas A&M extended its lead to 20-0 in the fourth behind a sacrifice fly from Binderup and an Incarnate Word wild pitch, the Cardinals broke through on the scoreboard in the fifth with a solo homer.
In the bottom half, the Aggies made the final tally 21-1 on a sacrifice fly from Hayden Schott.
Inside the Box Score
- Texas A&M scored a season-high 21 runs on 13 hits.
- The Aggies also drew a season-best 12 walks.
- Nine different batters recorded a hit for the Maroon & White.
- Ten different batters logged a walk for Texas A&M.
- Eleven different Aggies scored a run in the win.
- Kaeden Kent (2-for-3), Kiel (2-for-3), LaViolette (2-for-4) and Royo (2-for-4) each finished the night with multiple hits.
- LaViolette plated a career-high seven runs, followed by five from Binderup and four from Royo.
- Bear Harrison, Kent and Royo each crossed the plate three times.
- Brasseux struck out two in his inning of work, while Cunningham punched out one.
- Peyton Smith also made an appearance for the Aggies, allowing one run in one inning of work.
Notes
- Tuesday’s midweek marked the ninth meeting all-time between the clubs.
- Texas A&M has now won five straight against the Cardinals and leads the series 8-1.
- LaViolette’s multi-homer game marked the 12th of his career and second this season.
- The junior also set a new career-high for RBI with seven and totaled his team-leading ninth multi-RBI game of the year.
- LaViolette also secured his eighth multi-hit performance of the season.
- Wyatt Henseler has now hit safely in 25 of the 28 games this season.
- The Aggie third baseman also stretched his hitting streak to 11 games.
- Binderup’s five RBI set a new a career high, while Royo’s four RBI matched a career high.
- Royo also tallied his fourth multi-hit and second multi-RBI contests of the season.
- Kiel’s multi-hit game marked his team-leading 11th of the year.
- Kent registered his eighth multi-hit performance of the season.
- In eight innings of work this year, Lyons has yet to allow a run and has limited opponents to two hits.
- Brasseux made his collegiate debut.
- Hayden Crites drew a walk and scored the first run of his collegiate career in the win.
- Nathan Tobin made his collegiate debut and logged a double in his lone at-bat.
Up Next
Texas A&M hits the road for a three-game set at No. 1 Tennessee starting Friday night at 6 p.m. CST at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville.