Pair of ninth-inning homers sink A&M in SEC opener vs. Alabama, 6-4

Game #17: No. 17 Alabama 6, No. 19 Texas A&M 4
Records: Texas A&M (10-7, 0-1), Alabama (18-1, 1-0)
WP: Carson Ozmer (1-0)
LP: Brad Rudis (0-1)
Box Score

Brad Rudis eventually got the lone out he needed.

He just gave up two back-breaking home runs before doing so.

Hampered by questionable pitching changes in the ninth inning, Michael Earley and No. 19 Texas A&M sank to a gut-wrenching 6-4 loss to No. 17 Alabama at Blue Bell Park.

"That game right there is the epitome of SEC baseball, especially on Friday nights," the A&M skipper said. "They punched. We punched back. They punched. In the end, they threw a couple more at the end that got us."

With two outs in the ill-fated frame, Brennen Norton broke a 4-4 tie with a solo home run to left. On Rudis' very next pitch, left-handed hitter Kade Snell crushed a no-doubter to right center.

For some reason, Rudis was the pick for the right vs. right matchup with Norton over the hard-throwing Clayton Freshcorn.

"We like Rudis in the matchup. Trust him," Earley said. "They put some good swings on the ball, but I mean, we like the matchup with him."

Earlier in the ninth, Luke Jackson was lifted after he fanned Jason Torres for the first out. Jackson had retired all four batters he had faced up to that point.

Left-hander Kaiden Wilson ultimately got left-handed hitting first baseman Will Hodo to roll over for the second out.

"We were trying to avoid a homer," Earley said. "With left-on-left, with how Wilson's slider has been, we wanted to make him try to hit that. Got down in the count and was able to pitch back with his fastball."

But then Rudis entered.

The back-to-back jacks erased a gutty performance from Ryan Prager.

They also erased a gutty effort from A&M's offense that included Hayden Schott's game-tying home run off Carson Ozmer in the bottom of the eighth.

"I think they did a good job, but I also think we did a good job, too," Earley said. "Just didn't get the big extra-base hit when we might need it, but I thought our guys executed at the plate really well."

Alabama had just eight hits, but half of them left the ballpark.

Meanwhile, the Aggies finished 3-for-14 with men in scoring position, 2-for-11 with two outs and just three of their 11 hits went for extra bases.

What plagued Prager was a lack of command, though he gutted his way through seven innings while allowing four runs.

The only markers against Prager came on a pair of two-run homers, but prior walks increased the damage of Hodo's second-inning shot and Bryce Fowler's fifth-inning job.

"Plain and simply, just not good enough," Prager said of his performance. "I'm not mad about the two homers that we gave up. You're going to get damaged in this league. That's what you signed up for. The second run on each of those was a walk, and that's what really, really kind of ticks me off. There are three walks in there and a hit-by-pitch that just aren't good enough."

Callie Garner, TexAgs

Terrence Kiel II led all players with three hits, marking his second straight three-hit performance.

Still, A&M fought back from multiple deficits against Alabama starter Zane Adams.

Down 2-0, Jace LaViolette doubled in a run in the third before Schott's RBI groundout plated Terrence Kiel II an inning later.

Down 4-2, Sawyer Farr earned his first career RBI with a two-out single in the sixth before Schott tied it in the eighth.

Farr finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.

"It was real nice to get my first RBI tonight. I've been trying to get that for some time now," the rookie second baseman said. "I'm happy with how I played. I'm happy with how the team played. That's what the SEC is like. It's a dog fight every night."

Indeed, the Crimson Tide threw a few more haymakers than the Aggies.

That's life in the SEC, but it's how A&M responds that will matter the most.

"That was an SEC baseball game. That's what the next 29 games on the weekend look like," Prager said. "Obviously, because you lost, the vibes are a little melo. Nobody's excited after a loss, but that's the grind that we kind of talk about. Each game is like that.

"The beauty of it is we've got two more games this weekend, and we've got to show up tomorrow to get ready to win a ballgame."

That response better happen fast, like Saturday at 2 p.m. CT when the series continues.