Mitchell Kilkenny marvelous as Aggies notch huge series win over No. 17 LSU

Game #32: Texas A&M 3, LSU 1
Records: Texas A&M (23-9, 5-7 SEC), LSU (20-13, 6-6 SEC)
WP: Mitchell Kilkenny (7-0)
LP: Ma'Khail Hilliard (6-2)
Box Score

Mitchell Kilkenny scattered five hits and one run in a complete game gem and the Aggies got just enough offensive production to beat No. 17 LSU 3-1 and clinch their first SEC series of the season.

The Tigers did not get on the board until the eighth when they got to Kilkenny for a couple of bloop singles, but that was all the offense they could muster as the junior righty recovered to pick Zach Watson off first base to get out of the inning.

“He was certainly outstanding and controlled the game from the first inning to the last inning,” head coach Rob Childress said after the game. “They strung together some two-out hits in the eighth and we were able to get off the field and minimize the damage. I’m really proud that he was able to go out and finish the ninth.”

Brian Okosun

Hunter Coleman rounded the bases on a solo home run to start the bottom of the fourth. 

Hunter Coleman put the Aggies on the board in the fourth by launching a leadoff solo shot over the left-field wall. The flags were blowing in on a cold day at Blue Bell Park, but he managed to hit it out nonetheless.

“During B.P. nothing was really flying, and I guess the wind must’ve died down a little bit or something because I didn’t think that one was going out,” Coleman said. “I’m really proud of how we stepped up today, especially in these conditions. We played tough and wanted it more.”

Kilkenny got into a bit of trouble in the sixth but received some help from his defense to preserve the Aggies’ one-run lead. He issued a leadoff walk to Jake Slaughter, who promptly moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. However, George Janca made back-to-back nice plays on slow choppers to third — both of which required nice picks by Coleman over at first — to escape the inning without any runs crossing the plate.

Janca was back in the middle of the action the next half-inning. Coleman and Will Frizzell both reached base to open the frame, but they were still standing there two outs later and it looked like relief pitcher Matthew Beck might wiggle out of trouble.

Moments later, though, Janca crushed the first pitch he saw into the right-center field gap for a two-run triple, scoring Coleman and Frizzell to give the Aggies a more comfortable 3-0 lead.

“There’s a lot of peaks and valleys in baseball, especially hitting,” said Janca, who is hitting .189 on the season. “You have to continue to compete and give ourselves a chance to win. We did that all day long getting runners on base, and I just happened to be the one in position to get the big hit for us.”

Kilkenny then breezed through the seventh with seven pitches, completing the inning while facing only two batters over the minimum. He surrendered the Tigers’ lone run in the eighth on an RBI single with Zach Watson, but then he retired the side in order in the ninth to finish off his first collegiate complete game and the Aggies’ first complete game since Kyle Simonds’ no-hitter in 2016.

“Everyone is tired of losing on this team, so it was really nice to see everyone come out really aggressively and do anything we could to win,” Kilkenny said. “It was really nice to come out and get a series win.”

With the series win, the Aggies are back in the thick of the SEC West standings and return to the field Tuesday, April 10. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.

"It's huge for us," Coleman said of the series win. "I think it will be a turning point in our season when you look back at it."