Amid all the struggles on the mound throughout the 2023 regular season, who could have foreseen the Aggies’ pitching staff put on an absolute clinic to help the Maroon and White put together a deep run in the SEC Tournament?
That happened Friday afternoon, as No. 10 Texas A&M rallied late down the stretch to eliminate the No. 3 LSU Tigers. The matchup had everything an Aggies fan could have hoped for with a Hunter Haas homer, a standout performance on the mound from Willy Johnston and Evan Aschenbeck, and of course, a Tigers team sent home packing.
The Maroon and White received their third quality start of the tourney, with Johnston pitching six innings and surrendering three runs. Despite a strong outing from the Tigers’ starting pitcher Ty Floyd, both teams managed to plate one run each by the second inning.
Then in the fourth, LSU started to pull away with back-to-back doubles by Dugas and Jobert before Travinski extended the lead with an RBI double in the fifth, bumping up the lead 3-1.
But even then, the Maroon and White didn’t falter as Haas walked up to the plate to be the day’s hero. Haas crushed Dutton’s pitch and sent it flying over left field
to bring in three runs, giving Texas A&M its first lead of the game, 5-3, and one it would never relinquish.
Doubles for bubbles 🫧 pic.twitter.com/tdVcVOvaUf
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 26, 2023
Johnston picks up Ks 4 & 5.
Damage limited in the fourth.📺 SEC Network pic.twitter.com/zbTYJzVH0v
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 26, 2023
One run game 🫧 pic.twitter.com/SsvxfhRURp
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 26, 2023
LET'S GO FOR A RIDE 🛒 pic.twitter.com/QkYTiRYPAh
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 26, 2023
evHIM pic.twitter.com/jbj4LxVIlc
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 26, 2023
Let's Geaux👍@BrookshireBros x #GigEm pic.twitter.com/ZNOFjn9xwG
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 26, 2023
With the win, Texas A&M will face Arkansas tomorrow at noon C.T. in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Final Score: Aggies 5, Tigers 4 – W: Aschenbeck, Evan, L: Herring, Griffin
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