Thanks to 7 runs in the second inning, the Texas A&M baseball team easily won its opening game of the Bryan-College Station Regional on Friday afternoon at Blue Bell Park.
The No. 3 Aggies (45-13) shutout Grambling State (26-23) by a final score of 8-0 to begin the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M pitchers lead the nation in shutouts with 11 thus far, which is the most in Division I. The Aggies scored their other run in the fourth.
Senior first baseman Ted Burton and junior outfielder Braden Montgomery led Texas A&M to the dominant victory with 3 hits a piece. Burton was the only Aggie to record an extra base knock with a double and racked up a game-high 3 runs batted in. Montgomery tallied 1 RBI and 1 run scored.
Junior right-handed pitcher Brad Rudis (6-0) earned the win on the mound after relieving starter Tanner Jones. The sophomore RHP tossed 3.1 innings and allowed 7 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts on 68 pitches.
Rudis entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the fourth but got out of the jam. He struck out the first Tiger that he faced, then got the next to fly out to center field. The junior righty pitched the fifth to total 1.2 frames and 1 walk without allowing a hit on 18 pitches.
Freshman RHP Weston Moss recorded 3 Ks in 1.2 innings with 1 walk on 16 pitches. Junior RHP Eldridge Armstrong III tossed the final 2.1 frames, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks with 3 punch outs on 37 pitches.
On Saturday, Texas A&M will battle the winner of No. 23 Louisiana and Texas, who play at Olsen Field on Friday at 5 p.m.
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— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 31, 2024