Done Earley: No. 15 Texas A&M plates 23 in seven-inning rout of HCU
Game #8: No. 15 Texas A&M 23, Houston Christian 0 (7 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (5-3), Houston Christian (0-8)
WP: Ty Sexton (1-0)
LP: Jonathan Valdez (0-1)
Box Score
It only seemed like a matter of time before the Aggie bats woke up from a prolonged funk.
Rejuvenated No. 15 Texas A&M was evocative of the team that mashed its way to Omaha last season with a relentless 23-0 run-rule bludgeoning of Houston Christian on Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park.
It was A&M’s most lopsided win since a 23-9 rubber-match beatdown at Georgia last April.
As they prepare for an uptick in opposing talent this weekend at the Shriners Children’s College Classic in Houston, any boost of confidence was welcomed following a three-game slide last week that nearly saw A&M suffer its first non-conference home sweep since 1986.
“It’s huge,” senior infielder Austin Bost said. “We knew we were struggling a little bit; struggling, trying to find ourselves. We knew. We weren’t nervous. We weren’t freaking out. We just had to trust the process and knew that good things were coming, and tonight showed what we can do. We just got to keep that momentum going this weekend.”
Not hitting a home run against Portland apparently served as a wake-up call.
No one heard that call louder than Bost.
Batting a measly .080 entering Tuesday, Bost desperately needed to break out, and he did so in a big way.
After slapping a two-run double in the first, the Groves native hammered a grand slam to left field to send the dugout into a frenzy and extend A&M’s untouchable lead to 16-0 in the fourth.
“It felt amazing,” Bost said of his slam. “I knew the guy [Javan Smitherman] was struggling to find the zone, and I’m usually pretty patient, but I knew if he was going to try and get one over here, just get me over a fastball and get ready for it.”
Bost finished 3-for-4 with six RBIs.
An RBI double by Jack Moss unlatched the floodgates in the first inning before the Aggies busted them wide open, putting five more on the board early and scoring in every frame to follow except the fifth.
In total, the team scattered 17 hits from 10 different players. Trevor Werner matched a program record by scoring five runs and also knocked a solo homer in the second inning. Freshman Kaeden Kent joined Bost in headlining the shelling with three hits each. McLennan transfer Hank Bard also posted his first homer in Maroon & White, a two-run bomb in the seventh.
With the Aggies having already faced their fair share of challenges early in the season, developing a new identity hasn’t been easy.
Still, a barrage of runs at least figures to expedite the process as Southeastern Conference play rapidly approaches.
“For sure,” Bost said of the team starting to find itself. “It’s just getting comfortable, knowing your role and knowing how stuff works, knowing what plays what, finding a great lineup. We got a bunch of great guys on this team, and anyone can play. It’s just finding that momentum that sticks to help this team.”
For A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle, nothing was more affirming of his squad’s capabilities than Bost’s dominant outing. As they look to re-establish their prowess at the plate, Schlossnagle expects to see Bost continue paving the way.
“Every good team has an anchor in the lineup,” Schlossnagle said. “Bost has experience and puts up great numbers. Jace [LaViolette] is certainly playing very well, and Werner is very capable.
“We’re still trying to figure out who we are in that way, but our guys are feeling better about themselves after these good results. Winning breeds confidence.”
They just hope to sustain the confidence gained from tonight long enough to make it routine.
