Werner's three-run bomb highlights A&M's valiant comeback at Auburn

Press conference video courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics.

Game #30: Texas A&M 9, Auburn 5
Records: Texas A&M (19-11, 4-6), Auburn (18-11-1, 3-7)
WP: Evan Aschenbeck (4-0)
LP: Tanner Bauman (2-1)
Box Score

A third-inning ambush almost cost Texas A&M on Thursday night.

Almost.

Trevor Werner bailed them out.

No question about it.

In a game full of surprises, a gargantuan three-run homer by Werner in the seventh inning put the Aggies in front permanently en route to a 9-5 comeback win over Auburn at Plainsman Park.

“The go-ahead run from Trevor, no question, big swing, big moment,” Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said postgame.

Climbing their way out of another early hole, Austin Bost walked as Hunter Haas scored on a wild pitch in the seventh that forged an improbable 5-5 tie.

After Brett Minnich singled through the right side, Werner stepped to the plate batting just .077 with runners in scoring position on the year.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

In addition to his go-ahead homer, Werner fronted the night offensively for A&M with three hits. 

The odds may have seemed stacked against him, but Werner delivered.

Werner smoked a 1-2 offering from Tanner Bauman over center field to score three runs on a colossal 422-foot homer that sedated the Tigers.

Ryan Targac added an insurance run in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly, and A&M never looked back.

“[Bauman] got me at the AB before. I knew he had a good changeup, so just backed the ball a little bit,” Werner said. “Got the two strikes and just got a heater in my sweet spot and put a good swing on it.”

The biggest surprise of the night may have been starting pitcher Nathan Dettmer.

Retiring six consecutive batters on four strikeouts to open the game, Dettmer looked primed to deliver an ace-like performance, one he’s been direly searching for in Southeastern Conference play.

Working ahead of batters and producing strikes were his forte. Dettmer leaned steadily on his diving slider and was practically in cruise control.

Then the Tigers suddenly pounced.

Three consecutive RBI singles in the third inning undid his nearly untouchable start and turned the game upside down almost instantly. Cooper McMurray ended the blitz with a two-run double, delivering another agonizing blow to Dettmer and putting Auburn ahead on a 5-2 lead.

Perhaps ill-advised at the time, Schlossnagle elected to stick Dettmer rather than turning to the bullpen.

A total meltdown almost felt inevitable.

But Schlossnagle’s decision paid off.

Dettmer didn’t waste the opportunity for redemption as he finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts while walking four in a persistent 98-pitch display. Aside from his improved command, the most encouraging sign from Dettmer was his ability to recover and prevent further damage.

“I think the best games that I’ve seen him throw were the Notre Dame game in Omaha and last year at Georgia,” Werner said. “You just got to keep telling him, ‘Hey man, you’re the same guy. Whether your stuff is on or not, if you go out there and compete, you’ll give us the best chance to win, and that’s all we can ask for.’”

Maybe not so much of a surprise, reliever Evan Aschenbeck carried the Aggies to the finish line for his fourth win of the year, yielding just two hits and striking out four in 3.1 innings.

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending how you look at it, that was our season last year. We played from behind all the time,” Schlossnagle said. “So a lot of these veteran players are used to it, but that’s certainly not the trend we want to be at as a program.

“Guys keep playing. Auburn has a lot of pitching issues the same way we do. Trying to figure out who can do what. I was a little hesitant to bring Aschenbeck in with us down a run, but I felt like we would scratch enough to score and it worked out well.”

In the second, Cole Foster lost an infield pop-up in the lights that allowed Werner to double. Targac then stepped in and delivered an RBI single. Minnich continued his hot return from injury in the third for a run-scoring double.

Jace LaViolette initiated the comeback effort by obliterating a 91 mph fastball for a leadoff blast in the fourth. The hard-hitting freshman now leads the team in long balls with six.

Another homer shaved the deficit further as Targac pounded a ball over the left-field wall in the sixth inning.

But of course, no homer was bigger than Werner’s herculean three-run bomb that followed.

No question about it.