Aggie baseball surges late to pull away from Prairie View A&M, 9-2

Records: Texas A&M 7-1 (0-0), PVAMU 1-9 (0-0)

WP: Landon Miner (1-0)

LP: Darrien Williams (0-1)

The game started off rather slowly, as Texas A&M didn't get its first hit until the third inning, and Prairie View hit safely for the first time in the next frame.  

Given the slow start, the Ags would take the runs however they could get them early. In the third, Blake Kopetsky and George Janca both drew walks to start the inning. The next man up, freshman catcher Hunter Coleman laid down a sacrifice bunt but wound up safe on first when Panther starting pitcher and Bryan native Darrien Williams sailed the throw over first, scoring Kopetsky without a throw.  

"We kind of struggled early with the bats, then Austin Homan comes off the bench and has an 11-pitch at bat to drain their pitcher," said Kopetsky. "I was lucky enough to get a fastball and shoot it up the middle to score two guys."

That would be all the Ags mustered in the inning, however, as they left two men stranded in scoring position. All told, the Ags would leave nine men in scoring position on the night.  

Prairie View scored a run in the top of the fourth and another in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead, but the Aggies warmed up the bats starting in the bottom of the fifth. After leading the inning off with a single, Coleman took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a sacrifice fly, and scored on a passed ball, tying the game 2-2.

The sixth inning continued the trend of Aggie runs. Joel Davis led the inning off with a home run to straight away center field. Although that was the only run that inning, the Ags scored three runs in both the seventh and the eighth to secure the 9-2 victory.

"We were zero for our first nine with runners in scoring position, but I think you have to give an awful lot of credit to Darrien Williams. He had great stuff tonight," said head coach Rob Childress. "The turning point in the game was Homan coming off the bench to draw the 11-pitch walk and Kopetsky being ready to hit with runners in scoring position."

After Prairie View took the brief 2-1 lead in the fifth, they were held in check the rest of the way. Aggie starter John Doxakis threw five complete innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs. Relievers Landon Miner and Jason Ruffcorn combined for four innings of one hit baseball, while also striking out seven batters total. Miner earned the win, throwing three of those innings, giving up the single hit, and striking out five.  

"I felt good. I was just out there doing my job trying to throw strikes and let my defense work," said Miner. "I was throwing a lot of cutters tonight and they were working for me." 

The game was the first of two midweek contests for the Aggies. They will return to Olsen Field Wednesday, March 1, as they welcome the Incarnate Word Cardinals to town. First pitch will be at 6:30 p.m on SECNetwork+.