A&M drops game 3, series to MSU despite strong start from Kolek

Records: Mississippi State 32-17 (16-8 SEC), Texas A&M 34-15 (14-10)

WP: Riley Self (5-0)

LP: Mitchell Kilkenny (3-2)

It was a beautiful Saturday at Olsen Field as 6,295 people settled in for an afternoon of baseball, and Aggie starter Stephen Kolek obliged with a masterful performance on the mound.

But not even a heroic effort from Kolek could overcome the compounding mistakes on the field and missed opportunities at the plate as the Aggies dropped game three, 4-3, and the series, two games to one.

“Five weeks in a row Stephen Kolek has been outstanding. Pitched his tail off today, did a great job… When you’re not scoring a lot of runs, every little mistake gets magnified. Certainly a couple got magnified for us today and cost us dearly,” said Rob Childress on the game.

Kolek was brilliant on the mound from the outset, striking out the side in the first inning and only facing one runner over the minimum through five innings of play. Altogether, the Aggies sophomore would go six and two thirds innings, scattering four hits, giving up one earned run and striking out eleven Bulldogs on 100 pitches.

“Really just trying to fill up the strike zone with all my pitches, really just attacking with the fastball, cutter, changeups. Just trying to throw them all for strikes at the bottom of the zone.” said Kolek on his plan of attack.

At the plate on Saturday the Aggies drew first blood, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning without even registering a hit in the box score. 

The Aggie leadoff man, Nick Choruby would come around to score on an RBI ground out by Braden Shewmake to make it 1-0 A&M. Choruby led off the game with a walk got to third after a fielder's choice ground ball and a ball in the dirt to get in scoring position.

The Aggies also got a lift at the plate in the way of long balls from lefties Joel Davis and Blake Kopetsky. Davis would go yard to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning and extend the A&M lead to 2-0. Kopetsky also homered to lead off an inning, his coming in the sixth, to help pick up Stephen Kolek, who surrendered his only earned run on the day in the top of the frame.

The defense behind Kolek on Saturday was not the stalwart that it had been over the last five weeks of the season and definitely hindered the Aggies' chances in the ball game.

In the top of the seventh inning with the Aggies leading 3-1, freshman phenom Braden Shewmake showed signs of coming back to earth for the second straight day in the field. After making only his second error on the season last night, Shewmake countered with two errors in the seventh inning alone. 

"Shewmake made an error, but he’s the best second baseman in college baseball.Ten times out of ten he make that play,” said Joel Davis on the errors in the seventh that turned the game."

One was a double play opportunity that saw the turn by Shewmake go well wide of Homan covering the bag at second and gave Mississippi State runners on the corners with one out. After striking out the next batter, Stephen Kolek would be lifted for Mitchell Kilkenny.

Kilkenny would give up back-to-back RBI singles and a wild pitch that allowed a run to score from third in his 1/3 inning of work. By the time the dust settled on the top off the seventh, the Aggies were trailing, 4-3.

That one run lead would be all the Mississippi State reliever Riley Self would need to secure the victory. Self would get the win on the day, going three and a third innings, allowing no hits and striking out three to close the game.

A&M will take the midweek off this week and will not be back in action until next Friday in Oxford, Mississippi as the Aggies start a three game series with the Ole Miss Rebels. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.