Game #23: No. 23 Texas A&M 18, No. 7 Georgia 5 (7 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (18-5, 2-4), Georgia (20-5, 4-2)
WP: Aiden Sims (4-0)
LP: Kenny Ishikawa (1-1)
Box Score
Pummeled.
That’s how Texas A&M skipper Michael Earley described the first two games of a weekend series with No. 7 Georgia.
However, needing a response on Sunday, the 23rd-ranked Aggies did the pummeling in an 18-5 run-rule of the Bulldogs in front of 6,087 at Blue Bell Park.
“They took it to us for two days,” Earley said. “We got bullied, and you got a choice. …Not to be dramatic. It’s baseball, but we want to come out and be the aggressor today, and it started on the mound. Awesome job by (Aiden) Sims and the guys in the batter’s box.”
Sure, the pitching was fantastic, especially after Georgia had slugged 10 home runs across Friday and Saturday. However, starting on the mound would be burying the lede.
Offensively, A&M accumulated 16 hits, 11 walks and a hit-by-pitch. Ten of those hits came with men in scoring position as the Aggies scored in every inning.
The knockout blow was Nico Partida’s fourth-inning grand slam that staked the home club to a 10-1 advantage.
However, no referee was present to call the fight as the Aggies wailed and wailed for seven more in the fifth.
“We were lacking some energy, lacking some urgency,” Partida said. “When I saw it go over the fence, I wanted everyone on the team to know how excited I was, not for myself but for the entire team, and just know that we’re going in the right direction.”
A triple shy of the cycle, Partida finished 4-for-4 with six RBI. The slam was A&M’s only home run of the weekend compared to the Bulldogs’ 11.
Jake Duer drove in three as Gavin Grahovac (2-for-5), Chris Hacopian (2-for-3), Blake Binderup (1-for-3) and Bear Harrison (2-for-3) also had multiple RBIs.
While Partida was the loudest, fellow freshman Boston Kellner was the most patient, working a quartet of walks in the complete demolition of UGA.
“It’s about response,” Partida said. “Those two days, in our eyes, never happened. We just gotta come out today, come out firing, just more urgency.
“The biggest words were urgency and response that Gavin (Grahovac) was talking to us about after one of the games. Just going out there and just understanding that we have what it takes to get it done. I feel like that’s what it showed.”
On the mound, right-hander Aiden Sims reverted to his usual self, striking out eight Bulldogs while allowing three runs on two hits in 5.2 innings.
Jordy Oriach led off with a home run in the second before Sims used a five-pitch mix to retire the next 12 men he faced. Only after the uber-long bottom of the fifth did Georgia again crack the scoreboard to blemish the sophomore’s otherwise sterling line.
“The curveball was really working for me today. Haven’t had that the past couple weeks, and I think that was a big part of me today,” Sims said. “Just going back to having fun. That one outing doesn’t describe who you are. Just pounding the zone was the biggest thing for me. Last week, I didn’t pound the zone, had a lot of walks. …Throwing strikes is the biggest key.”
Between the offense and the curveball-dominance of Sims, the Aggies needed Sunday’s victory.
Sure, the weekend was not a success. The series loss still stands.
Except that sitting at 2-4 is a significantly better position than what could have been had they suffered the blight of a home sweep.
“You don’t ever want to get swept, especially in this league,” Earley said. “It’s definitely a series, and don’t get it twisted, we didn’t accomplish what we want to accomplish. We’re a better team than what we’ve played, and we’ve let some games slip away, but this is a 30-game gauntlet. You gotta get them when you can get them. That definitely feels good.”
Thanks to Sunday’s response as the result of being the aggressor, the Aggies can chase another buzzword next weekend in Columbia, Missouri:
Revenge.
