Back at Blue Bell: No. 5 Texas A&M opens 2023 with 8-2 win over Seattle

Game #1: No. 5 Texas A&M 8, Seattle 2
Records: Texas A&M (1-0), Seattle (0-1)
WP: Carson Lambert (1-0)
LP: Peter Chronowski (0-1)
Save: Matt Dillard (1)
Box Score

A bittersweet beginning at the ballpark.

No. 5 Texas A&M began its highly-anticipated 2023 campaign with a 8-2 Opening Night win over Seattle in front of 6,716 at Blue Bell Park on Friday night.

"Everybody likes to get that first one out of the way and feel good about themselves," A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle. "It's just one game, and we have to come back, get them tomorrow."

On the mound, Nathan Dettmer and Seattle's Peter Chronowski were locked in a pitcher's duel early, but it was the Redhawk starter that blinked first.

"A senior lefty who has been around and been an all-conference pitcher, I knew he was going to give us fits, especially with the wind blowing in," Schlossnagle said.

Dettmer tossed 4.2 innings of shutout ball, notching eight strikeouts — one shy of equalling his career-high.

TexAgs

Nathan Dettmer punched out eight batters against Seattle, the second most in his career.

"I felt amazing, especially in front of these fans. I got a little adrenaline going," Dettmer said. "I felt like I had everything. I flipped a switch right there for sure."

With the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth, Schlossnagle lifted Dettmer after just 73 pitches.

"He was out of gas," Schlossnagle said. "That was going to be his last inning anyways."

Carson Lambert promptly induced a flyout to right to end the threat, protecting what was a 2-0 advantage built by an opportunistic offense the inning before.

Aggie hurlers suppressed Seattle's offense until Matt Boissoneault's no-doubt two-run home run in the eighth.

In the fourth, Ryan Targac's line drive single-plated a pair with two outs, capitalizing on an Chronowski error. In the fifth, Jack Moss tacked on a third unearned run with a two-out double.

"We scored our first three runs after they made two errors," Schlossnagle said. "That's what good teams do."

Moss — who hit .380 last year — was the lone Aggie with a multi-hit night, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs. A&M was outhit, 7-5.

"We're one of the best offenses in the country," Moss said. "We're not always going to hit every single inning, but we're really tough to hold down for a while.

"I felt like a lot of the guys, including myself, were a little sped up at first just playing in front of an atmosphere like this for the first time again, but now we're back in the routine of things and ready to roll."

For what is an extremely experienced A&M lineup, the Maroon & White received contributions from a trio of freshmen in their collegiate debuts.

Catcher Max Kaufer — an early enrollee from IMG Academy — was poised behind the plate, earned a walk, scored a run and hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

"I thought he was the story of the game, to be honest with you," Schlossnagle said of Kaufer. "To be 17 years old, you're still supposed to be going to high school in New Jersey, and you're catching Nathan Dettmer's power sinker in front of 7,000 Aggies? That's not normal, and he did it with body language and confidence."

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Jace LaViolette drove in a run with his first career hit and scored a pair.

Entering as a defensive replacement for Brett Minnich in the third, Kasen Wells made a handful of plays in right and worked two walks.

While the Aggies won on the scoreboard, A&M lost Minnich after he broke a thumb diving headlong into first base in the second.

"It stinks, but I'd rather have it happen today and get him back for the last two-thirds of the season than have it happen in the middle of the year and lose him for the rest of it," Schlossnagle said. "That's what defines seasons, man. It happens to everybody at some point, and you need the entire club to win."

Minnich will have surgery and will likely miss a minimum of six weeks.

"He means everything to me," Moss said of Minnich. "Just say a prayer for him tonight. He's going to come back, and he's going to help us do a lot of really cool things this year. That's one of the best teammates I've ever played with."

The three-game series between A&M and Seattle continues at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.