Aggie baseball sweeps LSu, moves within 1/2 game of first in SEC

The hottest team in the SEC is undebatable: the No. 7 Texas A&M baseball team, which has won four straight series and 11 of 12 conference games overall. The latest victim was the LSU Tigers, who endured their first home sweep in four years.

The Aggie hitters busted out the whoopin’ stick on the Tigers Friday night, pummeling the defending national champions 10-4. Freshman right fielder Jorian Wilson homered twice, hitting monstrous shots to the opposite field both times. Both were two-run jacks, giving him 4 RBIs for the night. Junior first baseman Gavin Grahovac also hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning, continuing a power streak that would reach 10 home runs in the last 13 games by Sunday afternoon.

Pitcher Shane Sdao had his best performance in conference play, giving up two runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings — but was pulled one out away from qualifying for the win. Reliever Gavin Lyons picked it up instead, giving up two runs — one earned — on four hits over 2 1/3 innings while striking out four. Lefthander Ethan Darden closed things out with two scoreless innings, striking out a pair.

Things were just as lopsided Saturday as A&M cruised to a 7-2 win. Wilson continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the top of the second, then strolled home when catcher Bear Harrison hit his sixth home run of the season three pitches later. Gravohac hit his 12th homer of the season to start the top of the third, then a pair of sacrifice flies from designated hitter Jake Duer and second baseman Chris Hacopian, followed by an RBI single by Grahovac in the top of the sixth, closed out the Aggie scoring.

Emerging ace Aiden Sims (7-0) gave A&M another outstanding performance, holding LSU to two runs on six hits over seven innings while striking out six. Closer Clayton Freshcorn struck out a pair in two scoreless innings to close things out.

The Aggies didn’t overwhelm the Tigers at the plate Sunday, but their much-maligned pitching staff kept LSU in check. Starter Weston Moss had his best performance of the season, throwing 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball while striking out five before yielding to Lyons, who picked up his second win in three days with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless work to move his record to 7-0.

A&M put the game away early, with centerfielder Caden Sorrell hitting his 18th homer with one out in the top of the first. Harrison followed with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second before Hacopian — who took a 93 mph fastball off the face Friday night — hit a laser shot into the left field stands with Grahovac on base to make it 4-0 in the top of the third. Grahovac’s RBI single in the top of the fourth ended A&M’s scoring for the day, but also had them staked to a 5-0 lead.

LSU scored a pair of runs off of Freshcorn in the bottom of the eighth, but he closed things out easily in the ninth to conclude the sweep.

The sweep puts A&M’s record at 31-7 and 12-5 in SEC play, a half-game back of league leader Georgia. LSU, which is in compete freefall, is now 23-18 and 6-12 in the SEC.

Softball gets a sweep of their own

While the Aggie baseball team was on the road, the No. 11 softball team found a broom at Davis Diamond to sweep away the 14th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Aggies won a 3-1 pitching duel Friday night, with Sidne Peters (12-4) giving up a run on four hits while striking out four. A&M jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with Mya Perez hitting her 15th home run, a 314-foot blast to center field, and Michaela Wark scored four batters later on a passed ball. 

Left fielder Paislie Allen homered in the bottom of the second for A&M’s final run, which was enough to hold up as Peters dominated the Bulldogs, throwing just 93 pitches in a seven-inning complete game.

Sydney Lessentine one-upped Peters on Saturday, shutting out Mississippi State 4-0, throwing a complete game of her own while scattering just three hits. A&M scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the second, when freshman Maddie Sauni walked with the bases loaded, then Kennedy Powell was hit and second baseman Tallen Edwards also walked with the bases loaded, making the score 3-0. Wark’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to conclude the scoring.

Sunday’s game was anything but a pitching duel, as Mississippi State jumped starter Grace Sparks for six earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning. But State’s lead didn’t last long, as the Aggies pounded the Bulldogs for nine runs, highlighted by Perez’s grand slam and a two-run shot by Allen. Peters came in in the third inning and gave up three runs over five innings as the Aggies held on for a 10-9 win.

A&M is now 34-12 overall and 14-4 in SEC play.

Aggie makes return to Texas

Former Texas A&M shortstop and first round draft pick Braden Shewmake has joined the Houston Astros organization after a trade Sunday morning. Shewmake, who had been in the New York Yankees organization at AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre, hit .244 with four home runs last season. He was hitting .250 with a pair of doubles in 10 games so far this season.