Dettmer pitches six scoreless as A&M overpowers NKU in series opener
Game #14: No. 15 Texas A&M 8, Northern Kentucky 1
Records: Texas A&M (10-4), Northern Kentucky (8-5)
WP: Nathan Dettmer (1-1)
LP: Kaden Echeman (0-1)
Save: Ty Sexton (1)
Box Score
Improvement was expected from Nathan Dettmer after surviving just two innings against Louisville.
He delivered much more in the longest outing by an Aggie pitcher so far this year.
With six scoreless innings and eight strikeouts, the San Antonio native’s ace-worthy performance earned him his first win of the season as No. 15 Texas A&M overpowered Northern Kentucky on Friday night at Blue Bell Park, 8-1.
Ty Sexton held firm through the final three frames and picked up his first save.
“I thought Dettmer did a really nice job, attacked the strike zone early,” A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Coach (Nate) Yeskie challenged him before the game. I thought it was a good response to how he pitched last week. Certainly, something he can take confidence from going into SEC play next week.”
In total, he only yielded two hits and three walks. Dettmer also finished just one strikeout shy of tying his career-high nine.
With expectations rising going into a treacherous conference schedule, the bounce back was certainly a sigh of relief for the junior.
“It does a lot for confidence,” Dettmer said. “It sets the standard. I felt like I could have done even better, but that’s the standard now. Now every time, I try to replicate that, or better. Nothing less.
“Yeah, it was a reset. Especially going into SEC play, got a lot of confidence now.”
That confidence was evident early on.
Dettmer retired the side in order in the first frame, doing so again in the third and fifth. He tormented the Norse, finding the strike zone 61 times on 101 offerings. Dettmer settled his fastball in the mid-90s but proved most effective with his slider that baffled Northern Kentucky hitters.
“Off-speed was really amazing. That, you know, is the separator, and if you only throw a fastball, eventually, the hitters are going to get on it,” Dettmer said. “So that presence of a second and third pitch, that’s really what does it and gave me success tonight.”
His steady control on the mound from the onset made room for a monstrous eight-run second inning.
It was all the run support the Aggies would find and all they needed.
Ryan Targac broke through first by clubbing an RBI double before freshman Kaeden Kent capped off the bombardment with a single to left field that plated two.
In between, four other Aggies collected RBIs to build an insurmountable 8-0 lead.
Despite a lack of offense the rest of the way, a run-rule victory still seemed assured as the Aggies loaded the bases in the seventh. However, Jace LaViolette fouled out to third base to end the inning, and the Norse stayed alive in the eighth on a sac fly to avoid the shutout.
“We had some luck in that inning,” Schlossnagle said of the eight-run second. “We had some good at-bats in that inning.
“We have some young players. We’re not only young. We’re inexperienced. We started off with a super-experienced team, and now we’re incredibly inexperienced. And we’re going through growing pains that way.”
Troy Wansing assumes the starting role for the Aggies as the three-game series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
