By Shelbie Warr
Texas A&M entered the weekend as the unanimous No. 1 for a second straight week, having swept Elon on opening weekend. Their midweek against McNeese was canceled due to bad weather, and the weekend didn't look much better, forcing two of the three games to change time to avoid rain. They did, however, get through all three games in their entirety this weekend against Cal Poly.
In the first game of the series, Ryan Prager impressed once again- an entirely expected development. He pitched 5 full innings, allowing only 4 hits and zero runs. Weston Moss came in, pitching 2 innings and allowing 1 run before Brad Rudis took over, pitching the final two innings, pushing the Aggies to a 6-1 victory over Cal Poly. On the offensive side, Wyatt Henseler was as advertised, finishing the game 3 for 3 with a double and was hit by a pitch twice. Gavin Grahovac added a home run and was hit by a pitch twice as well. Jace LaViolette contributed a double that scored a run as well.
Game 2 brought a bit more excitement than Aggie fans wanted from the Cal Poly side of the field, with a 4-3 final score on a cold and rainy day at Olsen Field. Starter Justin Lamkin put in 6 innings of work, only allowing one unearned run on 2 hits during that stretch. Kaiden Wilson only recorded 1 out in relief and his control was concerning, to say the least. Clayton Freshcorn came in after, moping up the mess so to speak, and earning the win in this one. Luke Jackson would earn the save after Josh Stewart's season debut lasted all of 6 pitches before his knee caused enough discomfort that he had to be pulled and is awaiting an MRI this week. Offensively, Jace LaViolette and Hayden Schott finished 0 for 8, but the rest of the lineup stepped up to give the Aggies just enough offense to win- highlighted by doubles by Gavin Grahovac, Blake Binderup, Wyatt Henseler, and Jamal George. It got close late, but Texas A&M held on to win.
The last game of the series is where things went south for the Aggies- if you could even call it that. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the game, but could not get a hit after the 3rd inning of play- something that would ultimately lead to their demise. Despite a loss after a two-run homer and an unearned run in the top of the 9th, Myles Patton was a huge bright spot for Texas A&M. He finished with 7 innings pitched, allowing only 4 hits and no runs. Clayton Freshcorn, who had a great outing just the day before, fell apart in the top of the 9th in relief of Brad Rudis, who pitched a quick 8th inning- shutting down the Mustangs in order. Sometimes, you tip your cap to a strong pitching performance from the away team, and Sunday was one of those days for the Aggies.
Texas A&M has a big upcoming week they need to use to prove that they are the No. 1 team in the nation. They face an always scrappy Texas State team on Tuesday night at home, first pitch at 6 pm. Then, it's time to head to Houston for the Astros Foundation College Classic, where they will play Arizona, a top 20 Oklahoma State team--the first ranked team the Aggies will face this season--and Rice. Texas A&M will be the nightcap every day of the weekend classic in Houston- playing Arizona on Friday at 7 pm, Oklahoma State on Saturday at 7 pm, and Rice on Sunday at 6 pm.
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