High-powered offense lifts A&M to series-clinching win against Auburn

Game #27: No. 4 Texas A&M 12, Auburn 8
Records: Texas A&M (24-3, 5-3), Auburn (16-10, 1-7)
WP: Tanner Jones (2-1)
LP: Chase Allsup (1-2)
Box Score

Powerful. Relentless. Elite.

All three of those descriptors of No. 4 Texas A&M's offense were displayed in a deceptively close 12-8 victory over Auburn on Friday night at Blue Bell Park.

As a club, the Aggies registered 16 hits, including five home runs and five doubles.

Every Aggie that came to bat either scored, drove in a run or recorded a base hit.

"I saw a bunch of guys having fun and sticking to what we do," Braden Montgomery said. "We trust ourselves, and we swing at strikes and take balls, and I think we did a good job of executing that plan tonight."

Of course, that's easy for an All-American to say.

It's even easier to say for Montgomery, who homered twice — in the fifth and eighth — to bring his weekend total to three round-trips.

Montgomery leads the country in RBI (45) and is among the national leaders in homers with 15.

"It feels great to have another number in the win column," Montgomery said, side-stepping any praise for personal accolades. "I was just seeing the ball over the plate and was able to put some really good swings on off-speed pitches today."

Jace LaViolette's first-inning two-run blast set the tone for A&M's highly-offensive night.

Freshman Caden Sorrell added a three-run bomb in the sixth, and the resurgent Ali Camarillo lined a solo shot to left in the eighth.

"I started off not playing too much but kind of just making the most of every opportunity I've been given," said Sorrell, who made his fourth straight start in left field. "Staying true to my routine has been the biggest part for me."

Four different Aggies enjoyed multi-hit nights — Gavin Grahovac (2-for-4), Montgomery (3-for-4), Jackson Appel (2-for-5) and Ted Burton (3-for-5).

Auburn starter Chase Allsup allowed five runs in 4.2 innings. Relievers Cam Tilly, John Armstrong and Alex Petrovic failed to keep A&M at bay, coughing up four, one and two runs, respectively.

A&M scored at least once in every frame from the fourth inning on.

It turns out A&M needed that constant offense.

After Chris Stanfield's diving catch ended the eighth and staved off the 10-run mercy rule, Ike Irish launched a grand slam to cut the A&M lead in half.

The Irish bomb ended a string of seven unanswered runs that took a once-close 5-4 game to an insurmountable 12-4 A&M advantage.

"They're a really good team," A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said of Auburn. "There's no soft touch that's on our schedule this year in the SEC."

Benefitting from the early-and-often support, Tanner Jones pitched a season-high five innings and worked into the sixth while allowing three runs on four hits.

With the Tigers threatening to completely erase what was once a 5-1 Aggie lead, Brad Rudis entered with nobody out and the potential tying run in scoring position.

The new-and-improved Rudis punched out the first five Tigers he faced to end a scary sixth and begin a scoreless seventh.

Kelii Horvath, TexAgs

In the victory over Auburn, Brad Rudis pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out five. 

In 14.1 innings this year, Rudis has yet to allow a run while striking out 20.

With a much-needed bounce-back outing, left-hander Shane Sdao followed Rudis' effort with 1.1 innings of scoreless ball himself to get the Aggies to the ninth.

At that point, the outcome was no longer in doubt... or at least it seemed that way.

To their credit, the Tiger offense never rolled over, as Auburn finished with 12 hits, including two long balls.

"There's nothing that's more of a heartbreaker than putting a few runs in an inning and having an answer right back in your face when you go on defense," Montgomery said. "That just kind of speaks to the guys that we have and the ability to then respond again to that. It's awesome."

Pitching isn't easy in this league.

Neither is winning in individual games, let alone SEC series. A&M got both on Friday

"That's why they're monumental games. Every single pitch," Schlossnagle said. "It can change in an instant, so you've got to win them when you can win them."

The Ags will go for another one in hopes of completing the sweep of Auburn on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT.