Texas A&M baseball’s relentless hitting overwhelmed Texas State in the College Station Regional on Saturday, leading to a 15-2 win.
Every member of the Aggies’ lineup recorded a hit, and every batter other than Ben Royo scored a run. Texas State faces USC on Sunday in an elimination game, and the winner will face A&M in the Regional Finals.
MORE: Texas State baseball’s refusal to give in powered USC upset
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The Bobcats (37-25) took an early 2-0 lead over the Aggies (41-14), thanks to solo home runs by Manny Salas and outfielder Jackson Cotton in the first and second innings, respectively. After a solo shot by infielder Gavin Grahovac, outfielder Jake Duer would mash a two-run homer in the fourth to flip the script and give A&M a 3-2 lead. Infielder Chris Hacopien made it 5-2 in the fifth on an RBI single. Duer went 3-for-5 with six RBIs, while Hacopian was 3-for-6 with four RBIs.
The Aggies got an incredible start from right-hander Weston Moss. He pitched 7⅓ innings, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out 10 batters, a new career-high.
Texas State started left-handed pitcher Jesus Tovar, who gave up four runs on nine hits in 4⅓ innings pitched. But A&M struck hard in the sixth when Texas State sent right-hander Kyle Froehlich to the mound. Through a combination of errors and hits, the Aggies would rack up five unearned runs to make it 9-2. A&M cruised to the win from there, scoring eight runs in the next two frames.
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Here’s a recap of the action.
Texas State outfielder Rashawn Galloway sprints to first base in a game against USC.
Texas State baseball
Coy DeFury leads off with a double. Vossos pops out to center. A&M brings in left-hander Hunter Vincent. He strikes out Cotton and Mora to end the game.
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Right-hander Alex Yearwood enters the game. Kellner singles into left. Blake Binderup pinch-hits for Grahovac, flying out to center. Sam Erickson pinch-hits for Sorrell. He goes down on strikes. Sawyer Farr hits a pinch-hit double into right field. A groundout ends the inning.
Boles grounds out to the pitcher. The Aggies bring in right-hander Cole Hubert. Outfielder Blake Beheler flies out. Tanner Carson comes in as a pinch-hitter for Salas. He hits a sharp single past a diving Partida. Austin Munguia hits for Namken. He flies out to the warning track.
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Right-hander Shane Connell leads off the eighth with two consecutive walks. He’s pulled for right-hander Tyler Walton. Kiel lays down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Kellner hits a single to left to extend the Aggies’ lead to nine. Grahovac takes a pitch to the elbow to load the bases. Sorrell lines a two-run double into right field. Hacopian doubles to right, plating two more.
Colby Diaz comes in for Walton. Partida draws a walk. He takes second on a passed ball. Duer doubles to right center to make it 17-2. Harrison goes down on strikes, as does Kiel.
Vossos ends Texas State’s hitless streak with a single. Cotton reaches on a fielder’s choice; Vossos is out at second. Mora singles past third base to put runners on the corners. Grahovac makes a diving catch at first and steps on the bag for an unassisted double-play.
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Right-hander Cameron O’Banan takes the mound for the seventh. Kellner grounds out to short. O’Banan walks Grahovac and Sorrell. Hacopien rips an RBI double off the left field wall. Partida makes it to first on a fielder’s choice, as Mora guns the runner out at home. Duer strikes out swinging.
Moss records his career-high ninth strikeout to retire Salas. Namken flies out to center. Moss gets his 10th K as Stewart fails to check his swing.
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Texas State sends right-hander Kyle Froehlich to the mound for the sixth. Royo flies out to right. Kiel singles into right field. Kellner lines a double into left-center to put runners on second and third. Froehlich strikes out Grahovac on a breaking pitch in the dirt, but Namken accidentally kicks the ball away to load the bases. Froehlich gets Sorrell to chase a high fastball for a K.
Hacopien reaches first on an error by Vossos at short, and the Aggies go up 5-2. Froehlich hits Partida with a pitch, scoring another run. Duer shoots a ball into the right field gap for a two-RBI single. Harrison takes a pitch to his leg to load the bases again. Right-hander Keller Eberly enters the game. Mora knocks down a potential extra-base hit, but A&M still plates a run. Kiel strikes out to end the top of the frame.
Fryman lines out to left. Moss sends Boles down on strikes for his eighth K of the game. A groundout sends Texas State’s bats back to the bench.
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Fryman makes a diving grab in centerfield for the first out. Sorrell rips a ball into the left field corner for a double. Hacopian singles into left field, and Sorrell comes around for the run. Right-hander Dylan Kerbow enters the game for Tovar. Partida grounds into a fielder’s choice, and Texas State gets Hacopien out at second. Kerbow walks Duer. Vossos makes a nice snag at short and throws it to Stewart for the out.
Moss records his fifth and sixth strikeouts in a row on Vossos and Cotton. Mora grounds out to third.
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Partida singles through the left side. Duer follows up with a two-run blast, giving the Aggies a lead. Harrison rips a single into center. Royo grounds into a 6-4-3 double-play. Galloway can’t come up with a tough grab in right field, and Kiel records a double. Boles fields a bouncer and tosses it to first for the third out.
Salas goes down swinging, as does Namken. Moss strikes out the side, getting Stewart to swing on a slider.
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Outfielder Terrence Kiel goes down on strikes, Tovar’s third K of the game. He records another on infielder Boston Kellner. Grahovac cuts into the Bobcats’ lead with a solo shot to left. Sorrell singles as Mora fails to pick up a spinny grounder. Hacopien grounds out to end the top of the third.
Outfielder Jackson Cotton takes A&M right-hander Weston Moss deep again, over the left field wall, as Texas State doubles its lead. Infielder Chase Mora strikes out and outfielder Bennett Fryman grounds out. Galloway flies out to the right field warning track to end the second.
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Texas A&M infielder Nico Partida leads off the second with an opposite-field single. Tovar strikes out Jake Duer. Catcher Bear Harrison flies out to left field. Tovar records his second K on infielder Ben Royo.
Texas State leadoff Rashawn Galloway strikes out swinging. He grimaces in pain after the swing. Manny Salas sends a home run over the left field wall to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead. Catcher Clayton Namken pops out into shallow right. Outfielder Jaquae Stewart hits an infield blooper into the gap between short and the pitcher. He’s out at second on a grounder by infielder Justin Vossos.
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Tovar gets Grahovac to ground out. Sorrell singles up the third base line. Hacopien grounds into a double-play, ending a clean first inning of work.
1B Gavin Grahovac
CF Caden Sorrell
DH Chris Hacopian
3B Nico Partida
LF Jake Duer
C Bear Harrison
2B Ben Royo
RF Terrence Kiel
SS Boston Kellner
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RF Rashawn Galloway
DH Manny Salas
C Clayton Namken
1B Jaquae Stewart
2B Justin Vossos
CF Jackson Cotton
3B Chase Mora
CF Bennett Fryman
SS Brady Boles
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SP. LHP Jesus Tovar
When: May 30, 8 p.m. CT
Where: Bluebell Ball Park in College Station
TV Channel: ESPN2