Game #11: No. 23 Texas A&M 9, Arizona State 3
Records: Texas A&M (10-1, 0-0), Arizona State (8-4, 0-0)
WP: Clayton Freshcorn (2-0)
LP: Jaden Alba (1-1)
Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas — Nobody expected Texas A&M to go undefeated.
However, in the Aggies’ first chance to respond to a loss, they did what was expected.
No. 23 A&M defeated Arizona State comfortably, 9-3, on Sunday night to close the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field.
The Ags scored early. Each time Arizona State scored, they answered with offense of their own. The result is a 2-1 weekend against power conference opponents, with SEC play just two weeks away.
“I was really upset with the fact we got run-ruled,” A&M head coach Michael Earley said Sunday. “Looking back, we did some things better than I thought, but at the same time, a response and the fact that we did get our butts kicked and did an awesome job.
“Controlled the strike zone. Threw strikes. Got runners in when we needed to get them in.”
Sure, the 11-1 loss to top-ranked UCLA is still a sour taste, but early offense courtesy of Caden Sorrell’s first-inning, opposite-field home run staked the Ags to a 2-0 advantage.
As a unit, A&M’s offense bounced back from Saturday’s two-hit performance and worked 10 free passes to go along with eight hits. Six of those knocks came with men on base.
“It’s all about those guys. Those guys in the locker room, they really care,” Earley said. “No one ever wants to come out and play bad. No one ever wants to lose, but anything can happen, and your response is what the outcome is.
“I was not surprised at all. I knew they were going to come out today and play good baseball.”
Aggie starter Aiden Sims was not nearly as sharp as he was in his previous two starts, surrendering a second-inning two-run blast to Garrett Michel, but as the entire club did, he battled through 4.2 innings.
And in return, the bats battled back immediately, scoring three runs off Jaden Alba in the bottom half of the second to take a lead they’d never relinquish.
When Dominic Longo homered off Ethan Darden in the sixth, the Aggies answered with a three-spot and carried that six-run gap the rest of the way.
“I feel like it’s a big leadership thing,” said third baseman Nico Partida, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. “We hold everyone accountable. Every single guy is a leader. … Everyone is keeping each other accountable, and no one lets the small things slip.”
Throughout the rest of the spring, there will be ups and downs for this team. That’s life in the SEC, and the Aggies know it.
In this league, winning two out of three each weekend is something they’ll absolutely take. It’s non-conference play, but they did just that in Arlington.
But they also understand there is work to be done.
“Even last night, I left defeated for a minute, but I had some confidence because they saw what it takes,” Earley said. “They know they’re that good, especially when we get some guys back off the shelf. We’re a really good baseball team. We’ve just got to continue to play well.
“All kinds of positives to take out of the weekend. A lot of stuff to work on. We’re never going to celebrate two out of three when we get run off the field in one of them, but a lot of good stuff has come out of this weekend.”
