Story Poster
Rob Childress
Jonathan Moroney
Turner Larkins
Cason Sherrod
Texas A&M Baseball

Jonathan Moroney's grand slam lifts Aggies over UT-Arlington, 7-3

April 26, 2016
5,623

GAME #41: Texas A&M 7, UT-Arlington 3
RECORDS: Texas A&M 33-8 (12-6); UT-Arlington 22-20
WP: Turner Larkins (2-0)
LP: Matt Michalski (1-3)
S: Cason Sherrod (1)
BOX SCORE




Texas A&M's bats went cold against Alabama last weekend, following a stretch where the Aggies scored ten or more runs in seven consecutive games. Plating only ten runs over the course of the entire weekend, Texas A&M relied on pitching and walk-off hits from Austin Homan and Jonathan Moroney to take the series.

Apparently that wasn't enough for Moroney.

Pinch-hitting for Joel Davis with the bases loaded, Moroney hit a towering grand slam in the fifth inning against UT-Arlington on Tuesday night to put the Mavericks away and seal the 7-3 victory for the Aggies.

Abigail Cook, TexAgs Nick Banks got the Aggies on the board with an RBI-single in the third. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Nick Banks got the Aggies on the board with an RBI-single in the third.","MediaItemID":68539}
The Mavericks, however, struck first. Leading off an up-and-down night for the Aggie pitching staff, Mitchell Kilkenny hit a batter and gave up two singles in the second inning, allowing a run to score in the process.

The Aggies responded quickly. With runners on first and second, Nick Banks poked a single through the right side to tie the game at one run apiece in the bottom of the third.

One inning later, Texas A&M took a 2-1 lead when Joel Davis scored after a single by Austin Homan and a Maverick error.

The Aggies then opened it up in the fifth.

After J.B. Moss came around to score to extend the lead to two, the Maroon and White loaded the bases with two outs. That's when Moroney provided some insurance, launching a pitch over the scoreboard in left field for a grand slam.

"He just says, 'I'm here. I'm ready. I'm going to make the most of every opportunity I get.' I couldn't ask for anything more," A&M coach Rob Childress said of Moroney. "The last two games he's been the hero, and he's certainly going to get more opportunities moving forward."

It was more than the Aggies would need.

Turner Larkins relieved Kilkenny in the second and got the Aggies into the sixth before allowing a run. On a short leash, Larkins gave way to Ryan Hendrix.

Hendrix had another rough outing, giving up a home run on his second pitch. With the bases loaded in the seventh, Childress called upon Cason Sherrod to get the Aggies out of the jam. The freshman responded with a beautiful strikeout and carried Texas A&M the rest of the way in the win, 7-3.

"When Coach Childress puts me in, he expects me to get the big out," Sherrod said. "I'm just throwing the ball over the plate and letting the defense work behind me. It makes it easy when you've got one of the best defenses in the country behind you."

Texas A&M will travel to Arkansas this weekend to take on the Razorbacks in a three-game series.
 
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