Time Crunch: No. 10 Aggies tie Mizzou, 2-2, in tenth inning due to travel restrictions
An anticlimactic finish at Olsen Field saw the Aggies tie the Tigers 2-2 after 10 innings due to travel restrictions on Sunday afternoon. The teams decided not to start another inning after 4:30 p.m., and the pregame agreement led to the tie.
A&M pitcher Joseph Menefee got the nod on the mound to start the game for Texas A&M and had some trouble with his control early. Missouri lead-off hitter Josh Holt Jr. was hit by a fastball to open up the contest, and Menefee walked another to give the Tigers an opportunity to score in the first. With runners on first and second, Chris Cornelius grounded one down the first base line that bounced off the bag and into right field to score the first run of the game.
The Aggies got their first big chance to tie the game back up in the bottom half of the second. Singles by Jonathan Ducoff, Will Frizzell and Chandler Morris set up loaded bases for Aaron Walters, who grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to allow the Tigers to escape the second unscathed.
“We had one shot to have a big inning in the second,” Rob Childress said after the game. “Aaron Walters had a really competitive at-bat and hit a ball as hard as you could hit it.”
In the top of the fourth inning, Missouri led off with a double down the left-field line. After being advanced to third on a single, Bryce Miller was called in from the bullpen to replace starter Joseph Menefee. The Tigers then plated a run on a bunt single to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Menefee threw 3.1 innings, giving up two runs on three hits and four strikeouts.
The Tigers would let the Aggies back into the game in the bottom of the fourth. Braden Shewmake would single to open up the inning, but consecutive pop outs would give the Tigers two quick outs. An error by the pitcher and a hit batsman would load the bases up again for Aaron Walters, who skied a pitch halfway between home plate and the mound. Tiger first baseman Kameron Misner (who also went 0-5 at the plate for Mizzou) dropped the ball and allowed the Aggies to tie the game back up with two unearned runs.
In the top of the sixth, two walks and a single set up bases loaded again for the Tigers with just one out. Southpaw Chris Weber then replaced Bryce Miller on the mound and struck out Josh Holt Jr. and Kameron Misner to get the Aggies out of the sixth frame.
“Keep the hitters off balance,” Weber said of his approach coming into game in a jam. “[We needed to] get some big strikeouts, and luckily we were able to do that.”
Neither team threatened to score the rest of the game, and the Aggies headed into the ninth inning still locked up with Missouri at two runs each. Kasey Kalich came in to replace Weber, who threw 2.2 innings and struck out 5, and shut down the Tigers to give the Aggies a shot at Olsen Magic.
The Aggies were unable to score the run they needed. A dropped pop-fly from Kameron Misner was the difference between an A&M series loss and the series tie.
“We were very fortunate to score – it took a mistake,” Childress said. “Give Missouri credit, they’re the best collection of pitchers we’ve seen through three weeks in the SEC.”
The Aggies will return to action in a rivalry game on Tuesday against Texas. The game will be played in Austin at Disch-Faulk with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.