COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M Aggies dropped a 6-3 decision to Alabama Saturday on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park as the Crimson Tide clinched the series.
Alabama struck first and got out to a 5-0 lead midway through four innings, taking advantage of costly walks and hit batsmen. The Tide put up a four-run third and one-run fourth.
The Aggies took a jab at the lead in the home half of the fourth with three runs, and had opportunities to score in the fifth and sixth but failed to get runs across. In the fifth, the Maroon & White got two runners into scoring position with no outs, and had a bases loaded situation in the sixth. The Aggies batted 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-2 with bases loaded.
Alabama added one run in the sixth to extend their lead to three.
Offensively, Kalae Harrison and Will Frizzell wreaked havoc for Alabama pitchers. Harrison went 2-for-4, while delivering a huge two-RBI single in the fourth to keep the Aggies within striking distance. Frizzell was 2-for-4 on the day, marking his 10th straight game that he reached base with a hit, while Bryce Blaum tallied three walks.
On the mound, starter Bryce Miller (2-1) was saddled with the loss after laboring through 2.1 innings, yielding four runs on one hit, two walks and four hit batters while fanning two. Mason Ornelas was called first out of the bullpen in the third and brought into a base loaded jam. Ornelas gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out six in 3.2 innings. Trevor Werner and Joseph Menefee were stellar in relief. Werner worked through a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out one, while Menefee tossed 2.0 shutout frames, scattering one hit while fanning two.
The pitching staff recorded 11 strikeouts on the day, marking their 23rd double-digit strikeout performance of the year.
The Maroon & White dropped to 19-14 on the season and 3-8 in conference play, while the Tide improved to 18-12 overall and 4-7 in league play.
TOP AGGIE PERFORMERS
Kalae Harrison – 2-for-3, 2 RBI
Will Frizzell – 2-for-3
Mason Ornelas – 3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Joseph Menefee – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
GAME SUMMARY
T3 | The Tide loaded the bags with no outs after Jim Jarvis was hit by a pitch and back-to-back walks were drawn by Peyton Wilson and William Hamiter. Zane Denton broke the ice, plating one on a lined single to centerfield, before Sam Praytor added to the damage with a RBI sacrifice fly to leftfield. Bama reloaded the bases with Owen Diodati getting hit by pitch, prior to Aggie starting pitcher Mason Ornelas getting pulled. With a new pitcher on the mound, two runs crossed the plate on consecutive RBI singles through the infield by TJ Reeves and Drew Williamson. BAMA 4, A&M 0.
T4 | Wilson led off with a double down the rightfield line and scored on a single to rightfield by Denton. Bama 5, A&M 0.
B4 | Brett Minnich got things started with a lined single to rightfield, and advanced to second on a dribbled single through the right side of the infield by Logan Britt. With one out, Bryce Blaum loaded the bags with Ags after drawing a six-pitch walk. Minnich scored from third on a wild pitch, while everyone moved up a base, before Kalae Harrison plated the two runners on a lined shot up the middle. BAMA 5, A&M 3.
T6 | With two outs, Denton reached first on an infield single to shortstop and scored on a double smacked in the right-centerfield gap by Praytor. BAMA 6, A&M 3.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & White close out the series against the Alabama Crimson Tide Sunday with first pitch slated for 1:02 p.m.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
On the bullpen…
“The bullpen gave us a shot today. For us to go to the bullpen in the third inning with Bryce Miller on the mound, I don’t think anyone saw that coming. It felt like we needed to have a stop there. They had four free base runners, and then for them to get three hits, we were chasing four runs. To come back the next inning and make it a 5-3 ball game helped. We got our momentum back, but we gave it right back in the bottom of the fifth and the top of the sixth. That was the game.”
