No. 4 Texas A&M (23-3, 4-3 SEC) defeats Auburn (16-9, 1-6 SEC) 9-7 in College Station on Thursday night.
Aggies star switch-hitter Braden Montgomery got the party started early with a two-run home run in the first inning for an early 2-0 for his 13th of the year. Later in the third inning, a Jaxon Appel sac fly scored Jace LaViolette, extending the lead to 3-0. Auburn had only mustered one hit to this point, and it looked like A&M might have started to pull away. Then, at the top of the fourth, Auburn tied the game with a three-run shot over the left field wall.
With the game tied at three apiece, A&M answered back when Hayden Schott hit a solo home run to retake the lead. Two walks and two singles later, the Aggies were back on top 6-3. A scoreless fifth-inning Auburn tied the game again, but it was short-lived once Texas A&M returned to the plate.
However, the scores came off free passes. They scored three runs without recording a hit. Two scores came from a bases-loaded hit by pitch followed by a bases-loaded walk. The final run was Schott’s sac fly, which brought Montgomery across the plate.
The Tigers would put another run on the board, but it wouldn’t matter as star Aggies’ closer Evan Aschenbeck closed the door on Auburn in the top of the ninth inning. Sitting at 9-7 with two out, Aschenbeck struck out the final batter to move the Aggies to 23-3 on the year with an open win in the series.
- Total offense: 10 hits, 9 runs
- Pitching: Evan Aschenbeck W (4-0): 4.0 innings, 5 Ks, 61 pitches. Ryan Prager: 4.1 innings, 2 Ks, 72 pitches. Chris Cortez: 0.2 innings, 1 Ks, 23 pitches. Josh Stewart: 0.0 innings, 0 Ks, 7 pitches.
Texas A&M will be back in action against Auburn in game two of the series at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park on March 29 at 6 p.m.
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