Head coach Michael Earley talks about Aggies’ mindset ahead of Game 1
Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley knows they have a target on their back. He tells reporters it doesn’t matter as the approach stays the same.
Texas A&M Baseball jumped on Mississippi State early and never looked back, taking Round 1 of the SEC Tournament Wednesday, 9-0.
The Aggies scored six runs in the second inning, aided by a Jace LaViolette grand slam. From there, they added two in the third, and one more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
The offensive onslaught gave ace Ryan Prager enough run support to allow the Aggies to survive and advance in the single-elimination-style conference tournament.
Prager gave the Aggies exactly what they needed from their ace, throwing 102 pitches in 5â…“ innings, allowing no runs and four hits with six strikeouts.
The Bulldogs’ starting pitcher, Ryan McPherson, struggled in a short outing, going 1⅔ innings after being chased out of the ball game.
McPherson gave up six runs in the limited action, finishing the morning throwing 60 pitches and allowing five hits and two walks.
Mississippi State used five pitchers on the day, allowing 10 hits and four walks.
Now the Aggies prepare to face the six-seed Auburn Tigers at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
Final updates from the action:
Aggies vs Bulldogs game score, highlights
Aggies went down in order again and now turn their attention to the bottom of the ninth and three outs away from advancing.
Reliever Brad Rudis replaced Freshcorn in the ninth. Rudis worked around a one-out single to get out of the inning unscathed.
Two strikeouts and a pop out put the Aggies down in order in the top of the eighth.
1-2-3 inning for Freshcorn as the Aggies continued to hold the Bulldogs’ bats in check.
A two-out double by Kiel produced a run with a Farr single to left center field.
A pair of singles opened the inning for the Bulldogs. From there, Prager got a strikeout before being replaced by Clayton Freshcorn, who got the last two outs to keep the Mississippi State scoreless.
Kash worked a two-out walk, but nothing else offensively for the Aggies in the top of the sixth.
Prager worked around a lead-off walk to complete his fifth consecutive scoreless inning. The A&M ace is up to 89 pitches on the day.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over to Dane Burns, their third pitcher of the day. A Farr single is all the Aggies mustered in the fifth.
Prager worked around a leadoff single to induce two fly outs and a strikeout to get out of the fourth inning clean.
Aggies’ bats went quietly in the top of the fourth, going down 1-2-3 to end the frame.
A 1-2-3 inning for Prager as the Aggies hold on to their 8-0 lead after three.
Back-to-back no out singles by Royo and Kiel put runners at the corners for A&M. From there, a Farr ground out drove in the Aggies seventh run of the game. A sac fly to center field by Kent drove in another to push the lead to 8-0.
Prager worked around a one out walk to get out of the second inning unscathed.
A poorly-played fly ball in right field allowed Harrison to get on with a double, followed by an error by the second basesman put runners at the corners for the Aggies with no outs. From there, a Royo single to left field drove in the first run. A hit by pitch Kent and a grand slam by LaViolette gives A&M its early 6-0 lead.
A leadoff single followed by a sac-bunt down the third base line put the Bulldogs in scoring position with one out. From there, a hit by pitch to Sullivan put two on with two outs. But a popup to Royo in the infield ended the scoring opportunity.
Following two strikeouts to start the game, Henseler hits a double off the left field wall to extend the inning. However, a third strikeout in the frame by Kash ended the threat.
Texas A&M batting orderSS Kaeden KentCF Jace LaViolette3B Wyatt Henseler1B Gavin KashC Bear HarrisonDH Hayden Schott2B Ben RoyoRF Terrence Kiel IILF Sawyer FarrMississippi State batting orderLF Gehrig FreiSS Sawyer Reeves3B Ace ReeseDH Noah Sullivan1B Hunter HinesCF Bryce ChanceRF Reed StallmanC Joe Powell2B Gatlin SandersTexas A&M starting pitcherMississippi State starting pitcherWhat time does Texas A&M baseball play Mississippi State today?Time: 9:30 a.m. CTDate: WednesdayLocation:Â Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, Ala.How to watch Texas A&M baseball vs Mississippi State today
Texas A&M baseball and Mississippi State will be broadcast and streamed on SEC Network. Other streaming options for the game include ESPN and Fubo.
Reach Texas A&M Beat Reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@hearst.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Access all of our best content with this tremendous offer.