Costly mistakes come back to bite Aggies in 5-3 loss to No. 25 South Carolina
Game #54: South Carolina 5, Texas A&M 3
Records: South Carolina (31-22, 16-13 SEC), Texas A&M (36-18, 13-16 SEC)
WP: Adam Hill (7-5)
LP: John Doxakis (6-5)
SV: Graham Lawson (1)
Box Score
Texas A&M dropped the second game of the series 5-3 to No. 25 South Carolina Friday night in front of 4,770 fans at Olsen Field.
John Doxakis scattered six hits and only one earned run over 5.2 innings but was saddled with the loss after a crucial fifth inning where the Gamecocks managed three runs on two hits. The Aggies made three errors on the night and left 10 men on base.
"We didn't play very good tonight at all from a defensive standpoint," head coach Rob Childress said after the game. "I felt like we did a good job on the mound but there were some mistakes that we made on the mound setting up those innings for them, and they capitalized on them.
"We have to play better to deserve a chance to win."
The Aggies were productive early in the game offensively as they got at least two men on base in each of the first three innings, running South Carolina starter Adam Hill's pitch count over 70 in the process.
Allonte Wingate put the Aggies ahead in the second with a two-out RBI single to left, and Hunter Coleman added two more in the third with a two-run single to center.
The Gamecocks responded with a run in the fourth and the three-spot in the fifth that ultimately doomed the Aggies. Jacob Olson led off the fifth with a double to left-center and then Matt Williams reached base on a Braden Shewmake throwing error. After a hit-by-pitch, Carlos Cortes ripped a two-run single to right.
Later in the inning, Justin Row notched an RBI groundout to give South Carolina 4-3 lead that they did not relinquish.
"Every out in the SEC is incredibly hard to get," Doxakis said. "It's the best conference in the country and the best hitters coming to bat and so extra outs hurt, but it's part of the game. We play as a team, and we win and lose as a team."
The Aggies threatened in the ninth when Wingate, who reached base all four times on the night, singled and Helman walked to bring the winning run to the plate. However, Shewmake grounded out to short and Will Frizzell struck out with runners on second and third to end the game.
"There was never one point in this game that I doubted we were going to come back," said Helman, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored. "We had a chance there right at the end but we couldn't capitalize."
Gamecocks reliever Graham Lawson flummoxed the Aggies out of the bullpen with four one-hit innings, striking out three.
For A&M, Asa Lacy and Cason Sherrod did not allow an earned run in 3.1 combined innings of relief.
Stephen Kolek will take the ball for the Aggies in the series finale Saturday at 2 p.m. It will be Senior Night in Aggieland and the game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.