Kilkenny brilliant again as Aggies sweep Long Beach State, 5-1

Game #17: Texas A&M 5, Long Beach State 1
Records: Texas A&M 16-1 (0-0), Long Beach State 5-11 (0-0)
WP: Mitchell Kilkenny (4-0)
LP: Tyler Radcliffe (0-2)
Box Score

Mitchell Kilkenny continued his fantastic start to the 2018 season, winning his fourth-straight outing and lowering his ERA to a sparkling 1.30 as Texas A&M defeated Long Beach State 5-1 on Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep.

Kilkenny scattered five hits over eight innings, striking out seven and walking two.

“Mitchell Kilkenny was outstanding and got us off to an amazing start,” head coach Rob Childress said after the game. “He was super-efficient, we scored early and didn’t give them any hope as the game went along.

“He threw all four pitches for a strike, and he was probably as good as he’s been all year long.”

The Aggies got on the board immediately in the first off Dirtbags righty Tyler Radcliffe, the first right-handed starter they faced on the weekend. Michael Helman and Braden Shewmake hit consecutive one-out singles to put runners on the corners, and Helman sprinted home on a sacrifice fly by Chris Andritsos.

TexAgs

Michael Helman went 7-for-11 on the weekend to raise his batting average to .394. 

The second inning was when A&M created real separation, though. After Kilkenny needed only nine pitches to retire the side in the top-half of the inning, Will Frizzell and Cole Bedford singled, and then Allonte Wingate hit a ground ball in the 5.5-hole between the shortstop and third baseman.

Santino Rivera fielded the ball but threw high to second base, allowing Frizzell to scamper home and Bedford and Wingate to both get into scoring position. After a groundout, Zach DeLoach plated Bedford on a fielder’s choice and then Helman drove home Wingate with a single up the middle.

Andritsos drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to give the Aggies a commanding 5-0 lead they would not relinquish.

The Aggies did not score again on the day, but they didn’t need to with the way Killkenny was dealing. The junior from Houston allowed an unearned run in the seventh to break up his shutout bid, but he recovered to get the next hitter on a sharp comebacker that he fielded and threw to first for the third out.

Kilkenny was still pumping strikes at 94 mph with his fastball in the eighth even after crossing the century mark in pitches. In all, he threw 71 of his 106 pitches for strikes and only went to four three-ball counts all game long.

“They’re a good contact team that doesn’t like to strike out much,” Kilkenny said. “We had a good wind so it was a little easier to throw it over the plate and feel good about it. Our hitters got off to a great start, and that always helps a lot on the mound.”

Kaylor Chafin relieved him in the ninth with a perfect frame, striking out one.

Helman stayed hot at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a walk. After falling a home run short of the cycle in Saturday’s win, the junior college transfer is now hitting .394 on the season.

“It definitely builds my confidence,” said Helman, who went 7-for-11 on the weekend. “As a whole, we’ve been hitting the ball extremely well and I think our offense is looking great.”

The Aggies tagged Radcliffe for five runs in three innings, but four Dirtbags relievers combined to toss five scoreless innings after him.

Next up, the Aggies host UT-Arlington on Tuesday before traveling to Auburn Friday for the beginning of SEC play.

“Getting a sweep builds a whole lot of confidence and gives us a little bit of an edge going into SEC play,” Helman said. “I can’t wait, I know everybody on the team can’t wait, the coaches can’t wait. It’s exciting — SEC baseball is something special.”