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Aggies Sweep Inaugural SEC Baseball Series
A&M
pounded out five hits, including two home runs, in a four-run first
inning and coasted to an 11-4 win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas –
The Texas A&M Aggies pounced on the Georgia Bulldogs for four runs
in the bottom of the first inning and coasted to an 11-4 win to
complete the series sweep on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park on Sunday
afternoon.
Trailing 2-0 with one out in the bottom
of the first inning, Krey Bratsen singled off the glove of Georgia
pitcher Luke Crumley to spark the rally. After Bratsen stole second
base, Blake Allemand hit his first career home run, depositing a 2-1
offering into the visitors bullpen down the rightfield line to knot the
game at 2-2. With two outs, Cole Lankford followed with his first
career home run, a solo dinger to right field to give A&M the lead.
Daniel Mengden reached on a chopper of the pitchers head for an infield
single to breathe new life into the inning. He stole second base and
scored when Jonathan Moroney poked a single through the left side of
the infield for the 4-2 advantage.
Georgia (8-11,
0-3 SEC) jumped on the scoreboard quickly with two runs in the top of
the first. With one out, Curt Powell and Kyle Farmer hit back-to-back
singles to rightfield. After Hunter Cole lined out to second base for
the second out of the inning, Aggie shortstop Mikey Reynolds committed
an error on a Daniel Nichols grounder to load the bases. Jared Walsh
made A&M pay for the miscue by lacing a two-run single through the
left side of the infield, plating Powell and Farmer.
Texas
A&M (14-7, 3-0 SEC) added single runs in both the second and third
innings. In the second, Jace Statum singled through the right side of
the infield and was replaced at first base on a fielder’s choice
groundout by Reynolds. Reynolds stole second base and scored when
Bratsen pounded a 3-2 offering down the leftfield line for a double. In
the third, Lankford hit a leadoff double to the gap in left
centerfield, moved to third on a groundout to a charging third baseman
by Mengden and scored on a grounder to second by Moroney for the 6-2
lead.
The Aggies kept the foot on the pedal with
three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. The inning featured an RBI
single by Charlie Curl, bases-loaded walk by Statum and an RBI single
by Reynolds for the 9-2 advantage.
A&M’s
cavalcade of runs continued in the seventh. Walks by Moroney and
Reynolds sandwiched around a double by Curl and fly out by Statum gave
the Aggies a bases-loaded situation with one out. Bratsen knocked in
Moroney with a sacrifice fly to centerfield and Allemand scored Curl
with a single to centerfield, inflating the cushion to 11-2.
Georgia
mounted a two-out rally in the top of the eighth to cut the lead to
11-4. After strikeouts by Cole and Nichols to start the frame, Walsh
singled up the middle and Brett DeLoach launched a two-run home run
over the leftfield fence.
The Aggies pounded out
14 hits for the game, including seven extra-base hits. Lankford led the
hit parade, going 3-for-5 with one double, one triple, one home run,
three runs and one RBI.
Reynolds, Bratsen,
Allemand and Curl each logged two hits. Reynolds went 2-for-4 with one
double, one run, one RBI and one stolen base. He extended his
consecutive-game hit streak to 20 games, tied with Cliff Pennington for
eighth on A&M’s all-time list. Bratsen went 2-for-4 with one run,
one double, one stolen base and two RBI. Allemand went 2-for-5 with one
home run and three RBI. Curl went 2-for-5 with one double, one run and
one RBI.
The Bulldogs had 11 hits of their own led
by Powell, Farmer, Walsh and Bowers with two apiece. Powell and Bowers
each logged a double.
In his first career weekend
start, Jason Freeman went 4.2 innings, allowing just two unearned runs
on six hits and one walk while striking out two over 4.2 innings.
Freeman’s previous career-long outing was 2.2 innings last Tuesday
against Houston Baptist.
Matt Kent (1-1) picked up
the win in relief, working 1.2 scoreless frames. He retired five of the
six batters he faced, allowing one hit while striking out one.
Crumley (1-3) was saddled with the loss for Georgia. He allowed five runs on seven hits over 2.0 innings.
Texas A&M returns to action Tuesday as the Aggies host the Dallas Baptist Patriots in a 6:35 pm contest at Blue Bell Park.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Rob Childress
Opening
Statement “I’m really proud of our team. I mean, we came out and
were able to finish the weekend off the right way. It would have
been real easy for us to come out and just pat ourselves on the
back. In the first inning, Jason and his fastballs elevated a
little bit, they strung some hits together, we made a mistake
defensively, and they grabbed the lead and they had all the
momentum. We come right back and answer back in the bottom of the
first, and I felt like that was the deciding inning in the game.
Jason [Freeman] settled in and gave us a great start, the bullpen came
in and did what they needed to do. Matt [Kent] came in and got
the first guy, and gave us four or five outs and then Vinnie [Andrew
Vinson] was able to finish it up. But, real proud of our team and
we had a very good week.”
On taking momentum into
next week: “Well, it doesn’t get any easier. Whether it’s the Big
12 or SEC, you’ve got to have a short term memory if things don’t go
your way, and you also have to have it when things do go your
way. Dallas Baptist coming in, a very offensive team, on Tuesday,
and then we turn around and take off on Thursday for Ole Miss. So
it definitely doesn’t get any easier; we’ll have our challenges ahead,
we’ll get a day off, and the real challenge will be on Tuesday against
Dallas Baptist.”
On Cole Lankford’s play: “He had
a great day, and has got himself going and has played really well the
last three weeks. He has been constant defensively, but from an
offensive standpoint, he has been really good for us the last three
weeks.”
Sophomore Pitcher Jason Freeman
On
his performance on the mound: “I felt pretty good coming out. I
just felt confident in throwing it over the plate and knowing the
defensive behind me was going to make plays, and they did. And
then it was pretty sweet coming out in the first inning, hitting two
homeruns. It let me calm down a lot more, and get settled into
the moment.”
Sophomore Third Baseman Blake Allemand
On
his performance at the plate: “It’s no secret that I was struggling
early on. I’ve been trying to take it one game at a time and have
good at bats, do anything I can do for the team. Today I was
fortunate enough to get a hit.”
On responding to
being down two runs going into the bottom of the first: “They got two
runs early, but we didn’t panic. It was still the first
inning. We just had to come in there, have good at bats. We
knew we had nine at bats left to get two runs. We were able to
hit some balls hard and hit some out of the yard, and make some good
swings.”
Sophomore First Baseman Cole Lankford
On
coming in down two runs in the bottom of the first: “It was huge for us
and it really got us off on the right foot. They got some hits,
they got going well. But for us to get going like that and Jason
to go five innings like that, it was huge. It was a great team
win.”
On almost getting a cycle and trying not to
focus on it at last at bat: “I was trying not to, but still trying to
get a pitch I can hit. I was just trying to do everything I can for the
team, and we got the win.”
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