Seventh-inning collapse drops sub-.500 Texas A&M to 0-6 in SEC play

Game #23: No. 22 Vanderbilt 8, Texas A&M 5
Records: Texas A&M (11-12, 0-6), Vanderbilt (19-5, 4-2)
WP: Alex Kranzler (3-0)
LP: Weston Moss (2-2)
Save: Tommy O’Rourke (1)
Box Score

For the second straight weekend, Texas A&M baseball was swept by a Southeastern Conference opponent.

The Aggies dropped to 0-6 in league play with an 8-5 loss in the series finale with No. 22 Vanderbilt, despite holding a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning. With Saturday’s loss, A&M dropped to below .500 for the season at 11-12.

A six-run bottom of the seventh inning for the Commodores sank the Maroon & White, ruining an opportunity for the Aggies to gain something to hang their hat on from the weekend.

Instead, the same issues persist. Late-game collapses and poor hitting have hurt the Ags many times this season.

After striking out 16 times in each of its two prior games, A&M topped that with 17 Ks on Saturday to reach a total of 49 punchouts across the three-game set. The Ags also left 11 men on base, proving costly in a three-run loss.

Another serviceable outing from the starting pitching was squandered, as well. Despite pitching just 4.1 innings, Myles Patton gave the Aggies a chance to win, allowing two earned runs on five hits.

Patton was relieved in the fifth with one out and runners on second and third, and Weston Moss worked out of the jam with a ground out and a line out.

Moss worked a scoreless sixth but got the Aggies into the jam that sparked the six-run seventh for the ‘Dores. Back-to-back one-out singles forced Moss to give way to Luke Jackson.

However, Jackson could not pick up his fellow reliever. He faced three hitters, giving up a walk, a go-ahead single by RJ Austin and an RBI base hit from Brodie Johnston.

Kaiden Wilson replaced Jackson and immediately gave up a three-run shot to Riley Nelson, giving Vandy an 8-3 lead.

To the Ags’ credit, they didn’t go down without a fight.

A&M managed to load the bases in the ninth, as Matthew Bergevin drew a pinch-hit walk, Wyatt Henseler — who gave the Ags a lead in the fifth with a solo shot — singled, and Jace LaViolette reached on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder.

Terrence Kiel II drove in a run with a single, and Henseler scored on a Gavin Kash ground out. Bear Harrison drew a walk, and quickly, the go-ahead run came up to the dish.

Unfortunately for the Maroon & White, it was a little too late as Hayden Schott went down swinging to end the brutal weekend at Hawkins Field.

The Aggies return to Blue Bell Park on Tuesday to face Houston Christian before hosting Kentucky next weekend.

Desperation time has already arrived in Aggieland.