Game #54: #12 Texas A&M 7, Lamar 5
Records: Texas A&M (40-14, 18-11), Lamar (34-26, 19-11)
WP: Clayton Freshcorn (4-2)
LP: Julius Carpio (3-3)
Box Score
No. 1, No. 4, No. 9, No. 10...
No. 12 is not on that list, but it certainly wasn’t easy.
Texas A&M erased a five-run deficit to avoid a regional-opening upset in a 7-5 win over Lamar on Friday afternoon in front of 7,401 at Blue Bell Park.
The mid-90s temperatures in College Station pale in comparison to the heat currently being felt by UCLA, Auburn, Southern Miss and Florida State.
Fortunately for A&M, Cardinal reliever Julius Carpio wilted in the Aggieland sun, or else the Aggies might’ve joined those national seeds in a regional losers’ bracket.
“In a tournament-style setting like this, double elimination, you want to get ahead. You want to get ahead and want to get out there. You don’t want to put yourself in a losers’ bracket,” A&M head coach Michael Earley said. “I’m just really proud of just how we attacked it.
“You always want to win. We won the game. We feel great about it. These games are tough. That’s a tough squad, and we found a way to do it, and that’s what matters the most.”
At this point, it’s no longer a beauty pageant. Like March on the hardwood, late May and all of June is about surviving and advancing.
With their largest comeback victory of the year — at the perfect time — the Aggies advance to Saturday night’s winners’ bracket game against either USC or Texas State.
To get there, they scored seven unanswered runs after Lamar held a 5-0 lead at the ballgame’s midway point
“Their starter did a hell of a job,” Earley said. “That guy pitched his tail off. They got some runs early, but we kept playing, kept getting on base, moved the ball.
“We were as ready to play as we’ve been every single game, but they just played really well. It’s a really tough team.”
Gavin Grahovac ambushed Cardinal ace Chris Olivier to begin the bottom of the fifth for the first of two Aggie home runs in the frame. After a Caden Sorrell hit-by-pitch, Chris Hacopian’s two-run shot cut the deficit to 5-3.
A&M’s DH, infamously slowed by a left-leg injury, added an infield single during the game-tying seventh to finish 2-for-3 with a trio of RBI.
“With the type of injury that I have, I got a few sprints in my bag every game, and that was definitely the time to use it,” Hacopian said. “I’m trying to win baseball games. I really don’t care how my body feels in the moment. I have a job to do. I’m in the lineup, so I’m playing hard.”
Nico Partida’s bases-loaded walk got A&M within proximity before Hacopian hobbled home on Bear Harrison’s sacrifice fly.
An inning later, Ben Royo doubled to begin the eighth. He came across to give the Aggies the lead when Carpio threw away Travis Chestnut’s sacrifice bunt. Hacopian’s sacrifice fly then added an important insurance run.
Those late theatrics undid early pitching panics.
Shane Sdao allowed an unearned run in the first before Lamar earned two more in the third, eventually chasing the Aggie starter following Braden Benton’s leadoff homer in the fourth.
Gavin Lyons ultimately stabilized the game, but not before nine-hitter Kevin Duran took him deep in his first inning of work.
“For me, nothing changes,” Lyons said. “Doesn’t matter the score, who we’re playing, what inning it is, so I just went out there with that mindset.”
The right-hander provided four innings of one-run relief. In a winning effort, Clayton Freshcorn faced just seven batters on 19 pitches to clinch the anxiety-inducing victory.
Sweating it out certainly isn’t pretty, but style doesn’t matter at this point.
“We have some things we gotta clean up,” Earley said. “Of course, we will, but we won the game, and I’m super proud of our guys for their effort through all nine innings.”
A&M avoided embarrassment.
Winning is always at the top of the list.
