Even though the Aggies lost in game one, they battled back on the road to secure the series win in the final regular season game of the year. About halfway through the game, it was starting to look like a blowout by the Aggies, but Mississippi State (27-26, 9-21 SEC) wasn’t about to go down easy.
After falling behind 11-1 by the sixth inning, the Bulldogs would score nine runs across the next three innings. The only problem for them was that Texas A&M (32-23, 14-16 SEC) answered back with four runs of their own to maintain the lead for a 15-10 victory.
Mississippi State broke the ice first with a solo home run in the bottom of the second, but the Aggies answered quickly in the third. Hunter Haas sent one over the left-field fence with two outs and Austin Bost on base for a 2-1 lead.
Inning four saw the most action of the night as Texas A&M broke the game open, getting through their entire lineup and producing six hits. The scoring started with a solo home run from Trevor Werner, then after a few free bases, Ryan Targac hit a single to center field, loading the bases. Brett Minnich cleared the bases with a grand slam putting the Aggies up 7-1.
𝔾ℝ𝔸ℕ𝔻 𝕊𝕃𝔸𝕄 @brettminnich17 https://t.co/70PzhGgoB6 pic.twitter.com/2gPCywQ3Wz
— Aggie Baseball Analytics (@AggieAnalytics) May 20, 2023
A single by Haas and a sacrifice fly by Warner rounded out the scoring extending A&M’s lead to 9-1. A few innings, Werner hit a two-run homer before Mississippi State could finally answer. Down 11-1, the Bulldogs had a small run that cut the lead by five on six hits.
Not wanting a repeat of game one, the Maroon & White answered with a run in the seventh, then after Mississippi scored another two, the Aggies responded again, adding three runs and putting the score at 15-8 going into the bottom of the eighth.
Following a two-out, two-run homer by the Bulldogs, Troy Wansing was brought in, and two pitches later, the team was back in the dugout. After going scoreless in the top of the ninth, the Aggies only needed three outs to secure their sixth SEC series win and lock in their seeding for the league tournament. To leave no doubt, Wansing made quick work of the side with a three-pitch strikeout of the first batter, a four-pitch ground out to the shortstop, and a three-pitch strikeout for the final out of the regular season.
Final Score: Aggies 15, Bulldogs 10 – W: Rudis, Brad (5-0); L: Cijntje, Jurrangelo (3-5)
The regular season is complete.@BrookshireBros x #GigEm pic.twitter.com/uakgmL4DZr
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) May 20, 2023
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.
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