Pitching issues 13 free passes as No. 1 A&M fails Texas State test, 7-3
Game #7: Texas State 7, No. 1 Texas A&M 3
Records: Texas A&M (5-2, 0-0), Texas State (6-2, 0-0)
WP: Alex Valentin (1-0)
LP: Caden McCoy (0-1)
Box Score
The problem with science experiments is they sometimes blow up.
Apparently, the same can happen with pitching experiments.
That's what happened for No. 1 Texas A&M on Tuesday as a third-inning meltdown plagued the Aggies in a 7-3 loss to Texas State at Blue Bell Park.
"I'm just eager to get to practice tomorrow. Get to practice, get to work, get re-centered," A&M head coach Michael Earley said. "Try to figure out who we are, what we are and what we want to be because it looked like tonight that there was a team out there that was desperate to win, and it wasn't us."
If the Aggie skipper and pitching coach Jason Kelly were testing different bullpen pieces, the letter grade is pretty obvious: F.
The biggest failure came in the free pass category, as even A&M's porous defense — which did not commit an error on Tuesday — learned another lesson the hard way: There is no defense against a walk, and Aggie pitching issued 10 of them to go along with a trio of hit batters.
Four — the difference in the ball game — of those 10 walks scored.
"That's college baseball," Wyatt Henseler said of playing behind the erratic staff. "When you're a freshman playing against grown men, you're going to get tested a little bit. I'm confident those guys are going to come back.
"It's a loss. No one is going to be happy in there, but at the same time, I think we're ready to take our next step forward, and it'll be good over the next couple of days to address it, but by no means is anyone hitting the panic button."
Those struggles on the mound began almost as soon as the game started when Texas State shortstop Ryne Farber's homer on the fifth pitch of the evening.
Two innings later, the disaster struck as A&M required three pitchers to get through the third when the Bobcats sent 10 men to the plate, walked four times, registered three hits and scored five runs.
"They can build off some of it, but at the same time, building off and getting it done are two different things," Earley said. "There was one pretty bad inning."
The biggest blow came on Austin Eaton's three-run blast off freshman Caden McCoy. That put the Bobcats in front for good.
To make matters worse, all five scored with two outs as both batters walked by Peyton Smith crossed on a single allowed by Luke Jackson.
In fact, six of Texas State's seven runs were scored with two outs, and the Bobcats probably could've had more.
The visitors stranded a baker's dozen, and if Grant Cunningham hadn't skirted a bases-loaded spot in the fifth or Terrence Kiel II hadn't made a brilliant diving grab in the ninth, Tuesday would've turned into a laugher.
"We got out of some jams where that could've been worse than what it was," Earley said. "It was a swing of the bat away from it not even being within reach. The score to me was larger than what the outcome was."
In total, A&M used nine different arms between starter Aiden Sims, who made his collegiate debut, and Brad Rudis, a senior who pitched a scoreless ninth.
Sims allowed just one run on two hits in two innings. The freshman fanned three.
"It's baseball," Sims said. "It's going to happen. These hitters are good, too. It's not like I'm going to strike everybody out."
Early on, it seemed as if A&M's potent offense was coming to life.
Kaeden Kent led off the bottom of the first with a home run. Two batters later, Henseler hit his first homer as an Aggie.
However, A&M did not score again until Jace LaViolette's RBI single with the Aggies already down to their final out as starter Jesus Tovar and reliever Alex Valentin kept the Maroon & White in check.
Starting at third in place of the injured Gavin Grahovac, Henseler was perhaps the only offensive standout, finishing 3-for-5 and a triple shy of the cycle.
"They were mixing pitches, doing a good job throwing strikes," Earley said. "We just didn't capitalize once again. Again, we got to be better than we were tonight."
Clearly, there is a lot to work on.
There is also little time before the competition ramps up in this weekend's Astros Foundation College Classic.
The Aggies will face Arizona, Oklahoma State and Rice at Daikin Park beginning Friday.
After a second consecutive loss, that seems slightly ominous, but Earley is not shying away from the challenge.
"Right now, it feels terrible, but at the same time, we ain't quitting," he said. "There's no quitters in that locker room, and there's not one right here, so we're going to keep going."