News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
No. 9 Texas A&M combined for 24 hits and nine home runs in a split of Saturday’s doubleheader with No. 20 Ole Miss at Swayze Field.
The Aggies (37-12, 16-10) matched a program record with seven homers to secure an 18-5 run-rule victory in the first game, but fell to Ole Miss (34-18, 14-13), 6-5, in the finale.
Ben Royo paced the offense in the twin bill, registering a combined 7-for-7 performance at the plate with three homers, five RBI and five runs across both contests.
Game One: Aggies 18, Rebels 5 (7 innings)
The Maroon & White administered a lethal offensive attack as each hitter in the starting lineup scored at least one run. Eight Aggies recorded a hit and five had multiple RBI to slug past Ole Miss in game one. Royo and Chris Hacopian led the charge, each logging three hits, two homers and four RBI.
The Aggies mashed three long balls in the third inning to claim a 5-0 advantage. Blake Binderup and Royo led off the frame with back-to-back round-trippers to left field. Gavin Grahovac walked and Caden Sorrell reached on error, followed by a Hacopian three-run shot to the opposite field.
Ole Miss responded with a three-spot in the bottom half of the frame behind three hits and a walk.
Texas A&M kept the bats alive in the fourth inning with a pair of no-doubt homers. Royo mauled his second dinger of the game 415 feet to left field to bring two runs across. Sawyer Farr lined a sharp single to center field, followed by a 419-foot blast from Sorrell to extend the Aggie edge to 9-3. Both long balls in the inning left the bat at 109 miles-per-hour.
Ole Miss continued to apply pressure in the bottom half, scratching a pair of runs on three base knocks and a pair of walks, cutting the deficit to 9-5.
The Aggie lineup added three more runs to the slugfest in the fifth inning with three hits and a walk. Ol’ Sarge’s charges loaded the bases behind consecutive singles from Bear Harrison and Wilson and a free pass issued to Royo. Each runner advanced a base on a wild pitch, bringing Harrison home. Grahovac cleared the bases with a two-out double down the left field line, plating two runs to put the Aggies in front, 12-5.
In the sixth inning, Bear Harrison crushed a mammoth two-run homer to left field. His eleventh jack of the year traveled 435 feet and left the bat with an 111 mile-per-hour exit velocity. Wilson drew a walk and moved two bases to third on a wild pitch. Royo lined a single to bring home a run. Following a walk by Farr, Grahovac sent his second double of the afternoon down the right field line to drive in a pair of runs.
Hacopian launched his second long ball of the game and the seventh of the contest for the Maroon & White to cap the final tally at 18-5.
Aiden Sims worked 3.0 innings as the starter, suffering three runs on four hits with five punchouts. Gavin Lyons (9-0) earned his seventh win in conference play after tossing 2.0 innings of relief. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits, recording one strikeout. Hunter Bond closed the final 2.0 innings in scoreless fashion, fanning a trio of Rebels without allowing a hit.
Game Two: Rebels 6, Aggies 5
Ole Miss claimed an early 3-0 advantage behind back-to-back homers from Fawley and Topher Jones in the second inning. In the third, Reuter drove a two-run jack to put the Rebels in front, 5-0.
The Aggies knotted things up with a five spot in the top of the fourth on five hits. After three consecutive singles to load the bases, Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe balked in the Maroon & White’s first score. With two outs, Binderup launched a three-run jack followed by Royo’s third homer of the doubleheader to even the ledger.
Weston Moss was tabbed the starter, suffering five runs on six hits in 3.0 innings pitched. Clayton Freshcorn (2-2) took over in the fourth inning, tossing a season-long 5.0 innings of one-run relief while punching out a career-best five hitters. The right-hander would be charged with the loss, as his lone run allowed would end up being the difference in the contest.
Texas A&M put runners on base in each of its last three offensive frames but were unable to muster a score to claim an advantage.