Sorrell's outlook-changing homer clinches series over No. 2 LSU

Game #47: Texas A&M 6, No. 2 Louisiana State 4 
Records: Texas A&M (27-20, 10-14), Louisiana State (38-11, 15-9)
WP: Weston Moss (6-2)
LP: Zac Cowan (2-2)
Box Score

Michael Earley won't be venturing to any casinos anytime soon.

After all, a thrill that can match Sunday's rollercoaster of emotions won't be found at a roulette table.

"I don't know how much money you have to take to a casino, and I won't, to get that type of feeling in those moments," Texas A&M's head coach laughed postgame. "It's huge. I'm just so proud of our guys. There's no lack of grit. There's no lack of toughness. Awesome win."

The moment Earley was describing is Caden Sorrell's go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning of A&M's 6-4 triumph over No. 2 LSU at Blue Bell Park.

Down a pair of runs, the Aggies needed a bloop and a blast to tie the Tigers.

They got a Gavin Kash double (his second of the day), followed by a pair of two-out bloops that preceded the aforementioned cathartic blast.

"I think earlier in the game I was trying to do a little too much," Sorrell said. "Got too big with my swing. Was swinging too hard. Talked with Mike (Earley) and (Caleb) Longley a little bit, and they told me to simplify things. I did that.

"Off the bat, I knew it was gone. Amazing feeling. And then trip around the bases, I kind of blacked out, so I don't remember all of it, but it was an amazing feeling, truly."

A&M was staring down another close loss.

Moments later, they were walking on air — and possibly right into the NCAA Tournament.

A four-run bottom of the eighth featured must-have singles off the bats of Jace LaViolette and Wyatt Henseler. The respective exit velocities on the infield base-hit and a dump single registered 48 mph and 74 mph.

Sorrell's left his bat at 104 mph and carried 403 feet off the left field scoreboard.

"That dude is just made different than most people," Earley said of Sorrell. "Talk about a guy that ain't afraid of the moment. I said it on the show: He's an absolute killer with a plan, and he's that dude."

Following those dramatics, all that was left was for Weston Moss to nail down the victory.

Battling through an illness, A&M's top reliever worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

In fact, he retired nine of the 10 Tigers he faced in three scoreless frames.

"I'm getting back to it," Moss said. "I lost like 10-plus pounds like really quick. I was really fatigued for a little while, and I think that kind of mentally screwed me up a little bit before a couple games there, but I got back to it because I just simplified the game."

His simplistic excellence in relief followed another solid outing by an Aggie starter.

For much of the afternoon, A&M threatened to waste left-hander Myles Patton's effort.

Patton allowed four runs on six hits with six strikeouts across six innings, but a parade of LSU relievers held the Aggies in check after Luis Hernandez's two-run shot put the Tigers up 4-2 in the sixth.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Lost in the victory is Gavin Kash’s 2-for-3 performance that included two doubles with a run scored.

Prior to the late outburst, A&M had stranded 10 men on base. They were just 2-for-10 with men in scoring position.

Before the eighth, their only offense was Terrence Kiel II's RBI single in the fourth and Kaeden Kent's solo home run in the fifth.

Their fate seemed doomed to follow similar losses from the last two weekends.

Until it wasn't.

"It's just about never letting the moment get too big," Sorrell said. "I was 0-for-4 going up there with two punches. Just wasn't putting good swings on the ball today.

"Went up there in that last AB and just flushed everything and was able to go up there with an approach, see a heater away and got that and was able to do some damage with it."

The damage done was more than just flushing a difficult day at the ballpark.

Sorrell completed a comeback that wasn't just series-clinching. It's outlook-changing.

With just six conference games remaining, the Aggies have 10 SEC wins. It'll likely take 13 to get into the NCAA Tournament.

Further, A&M's resume now boasts series victories over teams ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 2.

In a five-week span, the Maroon & White have gone 6-6 vs. opponents among the nation's top two.

"You never stop playing," Earley said. "You never stop frickin' playing, man. They don't. They don't. It feels great."

At this rate, the Aggies are going to find themselves in the field of 64 come Memorial Day.

At this point, bet on it.