Hope: A&M plays home run derby during twin-bill sweep in Knoxville

Game #30: Texas A&M 9, No. 1 Tennessee 3
Records: Texas A&M (15-15, 2-9), Tennessee (28-3, 9-2)
WP: Justin Lamkin (2-3)
LP: Marcus Phillips (2-1)
Save: Weston Moss (1)
Box Score

Game #31: Texas A&M 17, No. 1 Tennessee 6 (8 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (16-15, 3-9), Tennessee (28-4, 9-3)
WP: Myles Patton (3-3)
LP: Tegan Kuhns (2-1)
Box Score

Every turnaround needs a specific turning point.

Perhaps Terrence Kiel II provided the moment in the bottom of the fourth inning during the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

With Texas A&M and No. 1 Tennessee tied 2-2, Andrew Fischer launched what appeared to be a no-doubter into the blustery Knoxville sky.

But stiff wind brought the ball back within the reach of Kiel, who extended his left arm into the Volunteer bullpen to rob a home run.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

While his glove made headlines, Terrence Kiel II recorded five hits on Saturday.

The Aggies went on to win that ballgame 9-3. They then overpowered the Vols in an eight-inning nightcap, 17-6, to steal the series.

Kiel's larceny perfectly juxtaposes an explosion of epic proportions. It was also the first (and currently only) instance in recorded history that Lindsey Nelson Stadium played like a pitcher’s park.

Deploying the same lineup that was no-hit a night ago, the A&M offense was scorching on Saturday.

The Maroon & White blasted a total of 11 home runs — split four and seven, respectively — to upset the nation’s top-ranked club. Of their 26 runs scored, 18 were via the long ball.

The seven-homer outburst tied a program record for home runs in a single game. It also sealed A&M’s first-ever road series win over a top-ranked club.

Leading the home run derby was Caden Sorrell, who homered three times on the day, including a pair in the opener. Ben Royo and Wyatt Henseler homered twice in the latter victory, while Bear Harrison homered in each win.

Joining the party were Jace LaViolette, whose 60th career bomb — a two-run shot in the fifth inning — served as the game-winner in the early triumph, and Kaeden Kent, who hadn’t homered since March 9.

With Justin Lamkin starting the second game of the series, an early back-and-forth affair saw the Ags go from down 2-1 to up 9-3 by scoring in five straight innings from the fourth to the eighth.

After a quality start from Lamkin — two earned runs (three total) in six innings — Weston Moss took over with A&M up 6-3, and the right-hander spun three scoreless frames en route to his first career save.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Jace LaViolette hit his 60th career homer as an Aggie on Saturday as Texas A&M took down top-ranked Tennessee twice.

In the rubber match, Harrison’s first-inning three-run blast provided ample run support for Myles Patton, who turned in a quality start of his own.

When the Long Beach transfer departed after allowing three runs in six innings, the Aggies were up 14-3 as they belted a trio of homers in both the fourth and the fifth.

Even though Hunter Ensley’s three-run home run in the seventh staved off the inevitable for an additional stanza, Tennessee ultimately sunk to its first home series loss since April of 2023.

In the 9-3 win, three Aggies enjoyed multi-hit games. Kiel went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, as Harrison also went 3-for-5. Sorrell was 2-for-5 with the two solo shots.

In the 17-6 splattering, the number of multi-hit Aggies doubled to a half dozen: Kiel (2-for-6), LaViolette (2-for-5), Henseler (3-for-5), Sorrell (3-for-4), Kent (2-for-3) and Royo (2-for-5).

The thrashing of Tennessee is exactly what a scuffling A&M club needed, and the Aggies dismantled the potent Volunteers as a collective unit.

Entering Saturday, they sat at No. 108 in the RPI. With a pair of mind-blowing wins, they’re up 38 spots to No. 70 in Warren Nolan’s Live RPI as of 10:30 p.m. CT.

At 3-9 in conference with a treacherous stretch still ahead, A&M’s historic day doesn’t completely erase its futile first half. Indeed, the path to the 2025 NCAA Tournament remains an uphill climb.

But for the first time this spring, the Aggies played complete and complimentary baseball for most of Saturday’s 17 innings.

And with the most unlikely of series victories, Michael Earley & Co. have provided hope to the 12th Man.

The biggest hope is obvious: A turnaround is still possible.

And maybe it started with the home run that wasn’t before plenty that were.