No. 3 A&M dominates all phases in Game 1 win at No. 22 South Carolina

Game #30: No. 3 Texas A&M 9, No. 22 South Carolina 2
Records: Texas A&M (27-3, 7-3), South Carolina (21-9, 5-5)
WP: Ryan Prager (6-0)
LP: Eli Jones (2-1)
Box Score

Have offense, will travel.

In its first eight games away from Blue Bell Park, No. 3 Texas A&M averaged 7.75 runs per game.

That figure went up just a bit with a 9-2 victory over No. 22 South Carolina on Friday night at Founders Park in Columbia.

Nine runs in road game No. 9. Nice.

A&M's approach was again the very definition of relentless.

The Aggies finished an incredible 6-for-18 with men in scoring position. They scored four two-out runs and finished 5-for-14 with two outs.

All 10 Aggies who had an at-bat registered a hit. Seven scored. Six drove in a run.

Braden Montgomery, Jackson Appel and Hayden Schott each enjoyed multi-hit nights, and the Columbia transfer drove in three.

A&M racked up 13 hits, and when the Ags scored, they scored in bunches.

Another offensive masterclass got underway early with a four-run first vs. Gamecock righty Eli Jones. All of that damage came on the Aggies' five consecutive base hits.

Kelii Horvath, TexAgs

During his current four-game hitting streak, Ryan Targac is 6-for-14 with four RBI and three extra-base hits. He has scored a run in five of his last six games.

A&M added three more in the third on a Ryan Targac RBI single and Gavin Grahovac's two-run blast — his 10th of the year.

A Schott RBI single in the sixth and a Ted Burton run-scoring fielder's choice two innings later rounded out the Aggies' offensive production.

Not to be outdone by his teammates with the bats, left-hander Ryan Prager was once again fantastic.

In what could be considered a bounce-back start after a no-decision vs. Auburn six nights ago, Prager allowed just two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings.

Further, he punched out each Gamecock at least once en route to 12 strikeouts without walking a batter.

A second-inning solo home run by Talmadge LeCroy might have been Prager's lone mistake as Brad Rudis allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh.

The lone Gamecock threat came in that inning as Jim Schlossnagle turned to his Brenham bellcow with the bases loaded and two outs.

Evan Aschenbeck minimized the damage to the lone run by fanning Cole Messina.

Ultimately, Aschenbeck recorded four outs on just 21 pitches, which should allow him to be available on Saturday if necessary.

Indeed, Friday's victory was as close to a perfect script as Schlossnagle & Co. could have hoped for.

Perhaps a strong Columbia wind and using his ace reliever in a six-run game were likely the only blemishes in an otherwise flawless ballgame, but at best, those would be nit-picky complaints.

But the Aschnebeck move helped secure the all-important series opener, and the Maroon & White certainly won't blow off the outcome.

Understanding that life on the road in the SEC is rarely easy, this one was a breeze.