Braden Shewmake
Logan Foster
Blake Kopetsky
Kaylor Chafin
Texas A&M Baseball
A&M offense explodes in series-clinching win over Pepperdine, 10-6
Game #7: Texas A&M 10, Pepperdine 6
Records: Texas A&M 6-1 (0-0), Pepperdine 4-2 (0-0)
WP: Kaylor Chafin (1-0)
LP: Will Jensen (0-1)
Box Score
Runs were hard to come by in the first two games of the series between Texas A&M and Pepperdine. That was not the case Sunday, however, as the Aggies jumped out to a six-run lead and held on to beat the visiting Waves, 10-6, in the rubber match of the three-game series.
Christina DeRuyter, TexAgs Aggie second baseman Braden Shewmake went 5-5 on Sunday and hit his first home run in an Aggie uniform.
Foster played a pivotal role in two other scoring situations, as well. With the score knotted at two in the bottom of the fifth, he worked a walk to set the stage for Braden Shewmake, who crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run to right field.
Records: Texas A&M 6-1 (0-0), Pepperdine 4-2 (0-0)
WP: Kaylor Chafin (1-0)
LP: Will Jensen (0-1)
Box Score
Runs were hard to come by in the first two games of the series between Texas A&M and Pepperdine. That was not the case Sunday, however, as the Aggies jumped out to a six-run lead and held on to beat the visiting Waves, 10-6, in the rubber match of the three-game series.
A day after the Aggies made four outs on the base-paths and could not muster a hit when they needed it, they scored early and often in front of 4,938 fans at Olsen Field. Freshman Logan Foster got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with a solo home run, the first of his career.
Christina DeRuyter, TexAgs Aggie second baseman Braden Shewmake went 5-5 on Sunday and hit his first home run in an Aggie uniform.
Then in the eighth, Foster hit another solo shot, this one to straightaway center field.
"The kid can absolutely swing it," said Shewmake, who went 5-for-5 on the day with three RBI. "I'm so glad we got him out of Nebraska. He's unbelievable. He can swing a bat like nobody I've seen before."
Even after the base-running blunders on Saturday, the Aggies continued to try to make things happen on the bases in the series finale. In one particular display of aggressiveness, Blake Kopetsky scored all the way from second base on an errant pick-off attempt. The ball trickled into center field, and Kopetsky hustled home and barely beat the throw to the plate.
On the mound, Mitchell Kilkenny labored through the first four innings allowing only one run, but he ran into trouble in the fifth. After retiring the first batter of the inning with a groundout, Kilkenny surrendered a single and then a hard-hit double to spell the end of his outing.
Kaylor Chafin came on in relief of Kilkenny and, despite letting one of his inherited runners score on a wild pitch, limited the damage in the fifth. In total, he tossed three innings out of the bullpen, striking out five and walking none.
"Kilkenny wasn't incredibly sharp but did get us to the fifth," head coach Rob Childress said. "Kaylor Chafin was outstanding, stopped them in their tracks, and then we got going offensively."
After the Aggies appeared to put the game out of reach with three runs in the seventh, Pepperdine made it a game again with a four-spot in the top of the eighth. Chafin gave up a single and a double before passing the baton to Corbin Martin, who promptly allowed Waves right fielder Brandon Caruso to hit a three-run homer to left to cut the A&M lead to 8-6.
Foster answered right back, though, with his second home run of the game.
"It's fun. You see the guys when you're coming around third base, and it almost takes your breath away how excited you are," Foster said. "Guys put together some great at-bats today, and we got the job done."
Cason Sherrod tossed a scoreless ninth to secure the victory for the Aggies. Sherrod plunked the first batter he faced, but then sat down the next three Waves in order. The new closer still has not allowed a run in 5.1 innings this season.
The Aggies return to the diamond Tuesday for a midweek contest against Prairie View A&M. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Olsen Field.
Never miss the latest news from TexAgs!
Join our free email list