Texas A&M Sweeps South Carolina Behind Two Walk Offs

@AggieBaseball

By Shelbie Warr

Texas A&M, fresh off a series win on the road against then-No. 1 Tennessee, came home to face off with South Carolina—a team struggling as much as the Aggies were earlier this year. This series had a few twists and turns, but the Maroon and White came out on top in all three games, pulling off their first SEC sweep of the year.

Game 1: Texas A&M 8 South Carolina 7

Starting pitcher Ryan Prager has struggled as of late, giving up 5 earned runs in this start alone- something unheard of for him this time last year. However, the Aggie offense was ready and willing to back him up this time around, including a grand slam by a previously scuffling Blake Binderup. The biggest swing of the night though, came from Caden Sorrell in the bottom of the 9th for the first piece of "Olsen Magic" of the year- a walk-off home run.

This is not possible though, without a home run-saving catch by Jamal George in the top of the 9th and the shutdown pitching of star sophomore Weston Moss. Sorrell and the team went viral for their Masters-related celebration of both the walk-off and Blake Binderup's 3rd inning grand slam. This was the perfect way to start the weekend for the Aggie faithful and just another heartbreaking loss for the Gamecock team and their fans.

Game 2: Texas A&M 17 South Carolina 0 (7 innings)

The second game of the series was much less of a nail-biter than the first game, at least for those in maroon. Texas A&M run-ruled the Gamecocks in seven innings, shutting them out in the process. This was just what the doctor ordered for the Aggies, a team that needs wins to start piling up if they want to see the postseason this year.

This game was highlighted by the second grand slam of the weekend for the Aggies, this one by red-hot catcher Bear Harrison as part of a 2-for-2 evening. It also featured a home run by Kaeden Kent, who finished 3-for-4, and a double by Hayden Schott.

Starting pitcher Justin Lamkin was excellent again, pitching 6 innings of shut-out baseball, and Brad Rudis looked much better in his one inning of work to secure the series. It was a complete game by the whole team, probably the best they've played so far this year.

Game 3: Texas A&M 15 South Carolina 12

This game ended up being the most exciting of the weekend, once again if you were wearing maroon, as it featured an absolute meltdown by the South Carolina pitching staff.

The Aggies found themselves down 12-2 in the 6th- firmly in the territory of being run-ruled by the Gamecocks and losing all the momentum they had built up to this point. An RBI ground out by Jace LaViolette in the 6th and a 2-run bomb by Blake Binderup in the 7th gave the Aggies just a bit of life and they ran with it. Caden Sorrell would add 2 in the 8th on a double and Texas A&M was down just 12-7 in a game they once trailed by 10.

Senior Brad Rudis and freshman Caden McCoy combined for a scoreless top of the 9th. Then comes the bottom of the 9th, where the real fun begins.

Two singles and a walk would load the bases and up comes Hayden Schott- pinch-hitting for Jamal George. The Aggies had the base runners, but would they finally come up with the big hit? Graduate student Schott- a known strong situational hitter- cleared the bases and brought Texas A&M within one without a single out being recorded.

Texas A&M wasn't going away quietly. The Gamecocks changed pitchers and the Aggies quickly found themselves with one on and two outs, praying for a bit hit that would at least send the game to extras. Two walks would load the bases once again and bring up possibly the hottest hitter in the Aggie lineup- junior shortstop Kaeden Kent. The rest is history for Texas A&M.

Despite the South Carolina pitcher trying to will the ball foul, Kent launched a grand slam over the visitor's bullpen to win the game, 15-12- the second grand slam of the inning. In the words of the Olsen faithful, it would seem that a walk truly would have been "cheaper."

Upcoming Games

The Aggies welcome Tarleton to Blue Bell Park on Tuesday with the first pitch coming at 6 pm. The Texans aren't having the best of seasons, sitting at 15-22. Then, they head out on the road to face off against Arkansas- who sits at 32-5. However, they suffered their first SEC series defeat to Georgia with a pair of 7-6 losses coming on Saturday and Sunday. A series win would go a long way for Texas A&M's postseason hopes.

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