Game #10: Texas A&M 5, Baylor 4
Records: Texas A&M 10-1 (0-0), Baylor 3-5 (0-0)
WP: Nolan Hoffman (2-0)
LP: Hayden Kettler (1-2)
Box Score
A day after surrendering a crushing three-run home run that sealed the Aggies’ first loss of the season, Kaylor Chafin came back and notched his first save with a scoreless ninth inning to hold off a Baylor comeback attempt.
Chafin allowed a leadoff single but recovered with two groundouts sandwiched around a strikeout to preserve Texas A&M’s 5-4 win over the Bears on Saturday night at the Frisco College Baseball Classic.
“After last night I was trying to figure out a lot of things,” Chafin said. “Tonight I just decided to come out with a different mindset — no regrets, just go for it.”
Fellow senior Cason Sherrod, who joined Chafin in the offseason to come back to college for one final year, also turned in a yeomen-like relief appearance. He entered the game in the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs after Nolan Hoffman allowed three consecutive hitters to reach base, and Sherrod promptly induced a 4-6-3 double play and then a groundout to keep the Aggies’ lead intact.
Childress brought Sherrod back in the ninth for a potential three-inning save, but Josh Bissonette knocked him out with a two-run home run to left, and Chafin came in to close it out.
“I think everybody wants him to have the ball in that spot in the game,” said catcher Cole Bedford, “and he proved it today why.”
Bedford put the Aggies ahead in the third with a solo home run to left, his first of the year.
Baylor tied it up two innings later as Cole Haring led off the fifth with a single, advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on an RBI double by Davis Wendzel. Later in the fifth, John Doxakis — who relieved Aggie starter Chandler Jozwiak in the third — handed the ball to Hoffman with two men on, and Hoffman got a key inning-ending strikeout.
A&M regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, thanks in part to a Baylor miscue. Hunter Coleman led off with a walk, Will Frizzell singled and Bedford moved them both into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Allonte Wingate followed with a fly ball to right field that appeared off the bat like it would be a sacrifice fly, but Davion Downey misread the ball and it dropped in front of him for an RBI single.
Zach DeLoach struck out and when it looked like Baylor starter Hayden Kettler would wiggle out of trouble without any further damage, a passed ball allowed Frizzell to score from third and extend the Aggies’ lead to 3-1.
Hoffman pitched into the seventh, but Wendzel reached on an error to start the frame and then back-to-back singles loaded the bases. Childress called for Sherrod out of the bullpen much earlier than usual, but the Dallas native proved to be up to the challenge.
The Aggies tacked on two more in the bottom of the seventh on a home run by Frizzell, his first collegiate big fly, and an RBI single by Michael Helman. Those runs were ultimately crucial considering Baylor pushed two runs across in the ninth off Sherrod before Chafin closed out the victory.
“Very proud of him — he was very determined,” Childress said of Chafin. “We wanted to give him the day off, but the game didn’t allow that. In a spot like that late in the game, we needed a veteran out there.”
In all, the Aggie bullpen combined to pitch 6.2 innings of solid relief after Jozwiak exited the game in the third.
“Hoffman and Cason Sherrod were fabulous — they both got us off the field and minimized damage in each of those spots,” Childress said. “Doxakis as well gave us a couple of innings. Each time we had the opportunity to really crack and have a big crooked number inning, we were able to make pitches when it mattered.”
Kettler turned in a solid start for the Bears, but was still saddled with the loss. The sophomore from Coppell allowed four earned runs in 6.1 innings, striking out five.
The Aggies will close out their three-game weekend Sunday at 11 a.m. against California. Mitchell Kilkenny will toe the rubber, and A&M is looking for him to go deep into the game after using its bullpen so heavily to beat the Bears.
