Game #43: No. 13 Texas A&M 10, UT-Arlington 5
Records: Texas A&M (28-15, 12-9), UT-Arlington (14-31, 6-15)
WP: Will Johnston (1-1)
LP: Hunter Marshall (0-1)
Box Score
Another midweek W.
Donning black uniforms, No. 13 Texas A&M defeated UT-Arlington, 10-5, in a Tuesday night clash at Olsen Field. The Aggies scored eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cover up some less-than-stellar pitching and pull off the come-from-behind win.
"I'll take the win, and there's a lot of teams that lose that game," Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "Will Johnston settled the storm, and then we got the big hits to extend the lead."
Aggie pitching allowed 23 "free" bases, including seven walks and two hit-by-pitches.
"Tonight was awful," Schlossnagle said of his pitching staff. "It has to be better, and I do believe it's going to get better.
"Yeah, the first six or seven guys have to be really, really good, but the season always boils down to ninth, tenth, 11th, 12th pitcher. It always does, and that can be in the College World Series."
"Yeah, the first six or seven guys have to be really, really good, but the season always boils down to ninth, tenth, 11th, 12th pitcher. It always does, and that can be in the College World Series."
- A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle
Still, the relentless offense overcame.
Knotted 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth, the Aggies exploded for a five-run frame, highlighted by two-run doubles by both Dylan Rock and Austin Bost, staking the Aggies to a 10-5 lead they would never relinquish.
"We're just always going to keep coming," Rock said. "It's never over, and we're going to just keep coming at you."
The five-run outburst followed a three-spot in the bottom of the fifth.
Trailing by two, Rock jumpstarted the comeback with a solo shot off the scoreboard in left, a ball that left the bat at 106 mph and traveled an estimated 409 feet.
"I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think it was a changeup," Rock said. "It looked like it just floated in there, and I saw it real well and got my barrel there."
Rock finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
"He got back on the baseball," Schlossnagle said of Rock. "It's typical of what we've seen the whole season. He laid off the bad pitches and swung at the good ones. That's what he has been all season."
Jack Moss followed with a single, and after a Bost walk, Moss scored on a Brett Minnich RBI single to right. Bost later gave A&M the lead by scoring on a botched pick-off attempt by reliever Hunter Marshall.
A&M's slim advantage was short-lived as Taylor Smith allowed a passed ball on what would have been the final strike of the inning, gifting the Mavs an equalizer. It was the lone run charged against reliever Wyatt Tucker, unearned.
The Aggies broke the ice early, scoring a run in each of the first two frames without the luxury of a base hit in either frame. It wasn't until Rock's leadoff single in the third that A&M cracked the hit column.
"We scored two runs without the benefit of a hit," Schlossnagle said. "That's pretty good offense. Offense isn't just hitting. Offense can be getting on base and stealing bases."
Assuming the starting role, Ryan Prager was strong in his first three innings of work, retiring the first eight Mavericks he faced.
Brooke Homfeld, TexAgs
Dylan Rock’s bomb in the fifth inning marked his team-leading 12th home run of the season.
However, the freshman lefty soon found himself in trouble following a Boone Montgomery leadoff double in the fourth and departed after a sacrifice fly scored UTA's first run of the inning.
Prager allowed just the one run on two hits while striking out three in 3.1 innings. Behind him, Chris Cortez allowed an inherited runner and another of his own to score as UTA took the lead in the fourth. Cortez surrendered another in the fifth to give the Mavs a 4-2 advantage.
Following Tucker's 1.2 inning outing, Johnston, Robert Hogan, and Jack Hamilton each worked scoreless appearances to close the ballgame.
"We just have to keep getting better on the mound," Schlossnagle said.
Tonight’s win is A&M's 12th in its last 16 contests. In midweek games this season, the Aggies are now 9-1.
"Every game is important," Rock said. "Every time you win is a big deal. It's important to keep going for us. We can't take a night off."
Another SEC series looms large this weekend as the suddenly-hot South Carolina Gamecocks venture to Aggieland for a three-game set beginning on Friday night.
"We need these next two days to get some rest and get ready for the weekend," Schlossnagle said.