Bost, DeLoach each hit two homers as A&M run-rules NMSU, 16-2
Game #17: Texas A&M 16, New Mexico State 2
Records: Texas A&M (14-3), New Mexico State (12-4)
WP: Chris Weber (1-0)
LP: Chris Jefferson (2-1)
Boxscore
There is no doubt which club was the superior Aggie baseball team.
Texas A&M’s bats returned to their early season form on Sunday afternoon as 16 Texas Aggies crossed the plate in a run-rule win over the New Mexico State Aggies. Austin Bost and Zach DeLoach each hit a pair of homers, while Chris Weber threw five solid innings in his first start of the season.
“(New Mexico State) had full intentions of coming in here and having a great weekend,” A&M head coach Rob Childress said. “For us to be prepared and play the way we did, I’m incredibly proud of our group.”
A night after crushing a clutch pinch-hit homer, Bost earned a start at first base. He would put on quite the encore.
“When you get an opportunity, you’ve got a chance; go do well,” Childress said. “(Bost) certainly did yesterday, got his name in the lineup again today and certainly validated yesterday’s big hit with another great performance all the way around.”
In the second inning with A&M trailing 1-0, Bost dug in for his first at-bat of the day. On a 1-0 pitch from NMSU starter Chris Jefferson, the sophomore from Groves hit his second homer of the weekend - and season - to knot the ballgame at 1-1. Bost’s first homer kicked off a five-run inning.
“Putting balls in play and good things happen,” Bost modestly said of his approach after the game.
Fast forward to the fifth inning with A&M holding a 13-1 lead. With two on and one out, Bost stepped up for his fourth plate-appearance of the day (he was walked and hit by a pitch in his other appearances). Again in a 1-0 count, Bost got a big piece of a changeup and hooked it just fair down the right-field line for a three-run shot to push the score to 16-1. In just three at-bats on the weekend, Bost hit three home runs and drove in seven runs.
“We had a little momentum stop a little bit,” Bost said. “This sweep really helped and we scored a lot of runs. It was very big for us.”
As 16 runs might indicate, Bost was not the only Texas Aggie to have a fine day at the plate. Zach DeLoach also hit a pair of homers, only one of which actually left the yard.
After hitting a traditional two-run home run in that five-run second inning, DeLoach poked a dying liner that fell just out of a diving Tommy Tabak’s reach in centerfield. The ball would roll all the way to the wall as Zane Schmidt, Bryce Blaum and DeLoach would all cross the plate - DeLoach ending his mad dash with a slide.
“I needed an oxygen tank actually after that,” DeLoach said. “You got to laugh it off, man. That happens very rarely in college baseball and baseball in general. It was a really cool moment.”
When the offense explodes for 16 runs on 11 hits, it’s easy to overlook the pitching performance. Tossing five innings of one-run baseball in a spot, Chris Weber made a strong case to be a permanent fixture of the weekend rotation going forward. The sophomore lefthander struck out seven hitters and only allowed three hits in his first start of the 2020 campaign.
“You got to love having a lead as a pitcher,” Weber said. “It makes it so much easier to pitch and throw it over the plate. It was a team win today.”
A clean sweep of New Mexico State just before the beginning of SEC play is exactly what Texas A&M needed. After a very tough weekend at the Frisco Classic, A&M gained some offensive momentum as they head to Auburn next weekend and begin their grueling conference slate.
“I’m very proud of how we responded on the mound, offensively and defensively after last weekend,” Childress said. “To have a 4-0 week says a lot about the character of our club.”
The Maroon & White begin a four-game week on Tuesday, on the road at Rice. First pitch between the Aggies and Owls is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Reckling Park. Texas A&M has not yet announced a starting pitcher.