Dettmer's career night baffles Bulldogs as A&M takes opener in Athens, 8-1

Game #33: Texas A&M 8, No. 13 Georgia 1
Records: Texas A&M (21-12, 7-6), Georgia (25-9, 8-5)
WP: Nathan Dettmer (3-2)
LP: Nolan Crisp (0-1)
Box Score

Nathan Dettmer’s gem paved the way for Texas A&M’s third consecutive victory as the Aggies rolled past No. 13 Georgia on Thursday night in Athens, 8-1.

Though the Bulldogs boast the fifth-highest batting percentage in the SEC (.295), the sophomore dealt a career-high nine strikeouts without issuing any walks through eight innings of dazzling work.

TexAgs

Dylan Rock’s fifth-inning bomb broke the game open and gave the Aggies a four-run lead that would not be relinquished.

“I just felt great from the pen. I knew this was going to be a special day,” Dettmer said. “I was excited. I kept my stuff. I was happy with that.

“My defense worked for me. I couldn’t do it without them, it felt great.”

Other than allowing an unearned as a result of two consecutive fielding errors in the first inning, Dettmer held total command of the mound.

As of late, offensive production has been easy to come by for the Aggies with tonight being no exception.

After taking a 2-1 lead behind a leadoff-bomb from Troy Claunch and a Brett Minnich RBI double, Dylan Rock gave the Aggies the jolt needed to put the Bulldogs away by hammering a three-run homer to left field in the fourth inning.

“It was a close game at this point. Hung the pitch up; he left the changeup up, got a barrel on it and it carried out,” Rock said. “It gave us a good lead, and we just kind of rode from there.”

Jack Moss was then put into scoring position after a failed pickoff attempt and scored an unearned run to finish off the four-run charge.

An RBI single delivered by Moss in the sixth and a Rock groundout pushed Jordan Thompson across the plate in the eighth to cap off what was another huge night for the Aggie bats.

Being shifted into the bullpen this weekend after making eight starts as part of the A&M rotation, Ryan Prager worked a scoreless ninth and punched out one batter to end the night.

With tonight’s win, the Aggies resurface above .500 in conference play (7-6) and are now 5-1 against top-25 ranked opponents.

“In the SEC, getting that first win is huge,” Dettmer said. “Really is. Sets the tone for the rest of the week. I am happy we could do it today. It felt great. These boys are going to do it again tomorrow. I know it.”

Texas A&M and Georgia will return to Foley Field on Friday night in continuation of their three-game set. First pitch is set for 5:02 p.m. CT.

Jim Schlossnagle has yet to name a Friday night starting pitcher for the Maroon & White.