Texas A&M Baseball: Aggies move up and down in polls after 2-2 week

Texas A&M baseball (29-12-1, 11-6-1 SEC) lost the midweek game against Houston, but would bounce back to claim a very big series at South Carolina.

Texas A&M baseball have now lost their back-to-back midweek games after dropping the game to Houston in a rematch of the game the Aggies won in the Shriners College Classic.

Chandler Jozwiak got the start and fell behind early after the Cougars scored two in the first and one in the second. The bullpen would do their job going the final six innings by giving up only one more run, unfortunately, the offense could not deliver when needed.

Houston starter Ryan Randel held the Aggies to two hits over 6.1 innings. The two relievers did not give up any hits which made you wonder if A&M was using bats loaned by the Cougars. Those three pitchers faced the minimum six times which makes it very difficult to get any momentum. UH would win 4-1.

Heading into the weekend series against South Carolina, the Aggies needed to take advantage of a team that had not won a weekend series in conference play. The first game had everyone wondering if the bats were left in College Station. Starter John Doxakis did his job going 6.2 innings giving up two runs on four hits.

He found himself behind before the Aggie offense showed up in the seventh. A&M scored seven runs on five hits. Logan Foster delivered the big hit with a two-out grand slam to blow the game open. When the inning was over, the Aggies found themselves ahead 8-2. That would be the final score as Bryce Miller came in and got the final eight outs.

In game two, Asa Lacy would get the start, but not before the game was postponed to Saturday causing a doubleheader. Per SEC rules, both games would be decided in seven innings. The first game of the doubleheader was a case where neither team could really get anything going on offense.

Both teams combined for six hits, the big hit for South Carolina was a three-run homer by Luke Berryhill in the first inning. Logan Foster would respond in the second inning with his second home run of the series. The problem for A&M no one was on base this time. Hunter Watson would drive in the Aggies’ second run, but that would be all the scoring for both teams.

South Carolina would take game two (3-2) which for Aggie fans put the second game of the doubleheader a must win. Christian Roa would get the start and would pitch very well going 3.2 innings giving up one run on three hits.

Joseph Menefee, Miller and Kasey Kalich would help the Aggies keep the lead. Bryce Blaum, Zach DeLoach and Braden Shewmake sparked the offense that allowed them to jump out to a 4-1 lead after four.

The Gamecocks would close to within one before Blaum’s two-run homer in the seventh gave A&M some much needed insurance. The 6-3 win would clinch another series win for the Aggies as they continue to keep pace with SEC west leader Arkansas and overall conference leader Georgia.

Georgia leads the east (13-5) by one game over Vanderbilt (12-6). Arkansas (12-6) leads the Aggies by a half game thanks to that tie against Missouri. LSU (11-7) is one game back. With these results, A&M moved in both directions in the six polls.

• Perfect Game / Rawlings – stayed at No. 8
• NCBWA – stayed at No. 9
• Baseball America – up one spot to No. 10
• D1Baseball –  up one spot to No. 6
• Coaches – down one spot to No. 10
• Collegiate Baseball – down three spots to No. 13

This week, the Ags return home to face UT-Arlington in the midweek. The SEC series this week will be in Oxford to face the Ole Miss Rebels who have lost their last two conference series (Kentucky and Auburn).

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