LaViolette homers twice as No. 1 A&M clinches series over Elon, 16-6
Game #2: No. 1 Texas A&M 16, Elon 6 (7 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (2-0, 0-0), Elon (0-2, 0-0)
WP: Isaac Morton (1-0)
LP: Hank Krift (0-1)
Box Score
A glimpse, or at least part of one.
On Saturday afternoon, Texas A&M's offense was as advertised in a 16-6 run rule of Elon in front of 6,740 at Blue Bell Park.
Led by Jace LaViolette's two-homer performance, the Aggies (2-0) recorded 13 hits, including four home runs, and worked six walks in overwhelming Phoenix (0-2) pitching.
That's a glimpse of what's expected from the nation's top-ranked club.
However, the way the Aggies played defense — and, to a lesser extent, pitched — was slightly concerning.
"Those mistakes can't happen, especially on stuff I would call routine," head coach Michael Earley said. "They've got to learn from it. It's one of those, 'Don't let it happen again.'
"That's never OK, but we'll continue to grow and get better from it."
A&M committed three errors, but of the six runs they allowed, five were earned.
Elon struck first once again as the Aggies used a second consecutive come-from-behind performance, though Saturday's was much less dramatic than the opener.
"We just play pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat," Earley said. "That's what we live by. I'm never going to say I like it when we get down, but we don't look at the scoreboard. We just play."
After left-hander Justin Lamkin surrendered two runs on four hits in the top of the first, A&M's vaunted offense struck quickly as LaViolette launched a no-doubter to right.
Two batters later, Hayden Schott's two-run shot to center staked the Ags to a 3-2 lead.
In total, the Maroon & White scored in five of their six at-bats and posted crooked numbers in four frames.
"That's what we want to be. That's how we're coaching them," Earley said. "When they throw strikes, we want to do damage. When they throw balls, we want to take 'em. That's like the mission statement of what we do. That's who we are."
A&M was 5-for-11 with two outs and plated five two-out RBIs, though the biggest blow came with one out in the bottom of the sixth as LaViolette crushed a rocket to dead center for a grand slam.
That pushed the lead to 16-6, which enacted the 10-run mercy rule in stark contrast to last night's 4-2 win.
"The hardest game to play is Opening Day," LaViolette explained. "You have all those jitters.
"Today, I feel like we got to come out and actually play baseball. ... It was a breath of fresh air for everybody."
The junior slugger now has 52 career home runs, which puts him alone in second place on A&M's all-time list and four behind Daylan Holt's record 56.
He finished 2-for-4 with three runs and five RBIs, while his noted frenemy Schott went 3-for-5 with a trio of runs driven in.
"I think that our best baseball is far, far down the road," LaViolette said. "I think that we haven't even scratched the surface of playing, honestly, good baseball. I think that we have a lot of room to grow, and I'm excited to see what we can do."
Gavin Grahovac added a solo homer in the fourth as he, Gavin Kash and Terrence Kiel II also enjoyed multi-hit nights.
The offensive rout erased much of the consternation surrounding the pitching and defense because, after a three-run top of the third, the Phoenix only trailed by two.
"They're pesky up there," Earley said of Elon. "They foul off pitches. They do a really, really good job. Some of those counts got deeper. We didn't put them away, but those guys do a really good job of fighting in the count. It's really, really impressive."
Though he fanned nine, Lamkin allowed three runs on six hits before a high pitch count forced him to exit after four. In Luke Jackson's lone inning of work, the sophomore righty allowed three runs.
But after a four-run third broke a 3-3 tie, A&M was never truly threatened, thanks to the effectiveness of Isaac Morton.
"A big thing was getting my confidence back and finding my mojo," the right-hander said. "There was a little rough patch last year that, mentally, I had to get through. Now we're back."
Earning his second career victory, the Minnesota native tossed two scoreless innings and struck out three while using a four-pitch mix that centered on his mid-90s cutter.
He, too, offered a glimpse of what might be.
"I think my go-to pitch was definitely my cutter," Morton said. "There's a confidence thing that goes with it, and I definitely have all the confidence in the world in that. There's just something that clicks."
Sure, there is plenty left to click for this club, but the Aggies are showing signs and learning through wins rather than losses.
They'll go for another when the series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
