Texas A&M Run Rules Florida, Advances In SEC Tournament
Texas A&M didn't play nine innings against Florida Thursday afternoon in Hoover, Ala., but it wasn't due to lighting strikes or rain delays. The Aggies simply didn't need the last two frames to pick up their first win of the SEC Tournament.
A surging sixth inning allowed the No. 5 Aggies to plate seven on the way to a run-rule 10-0 victory over the Gators. A&M smacked four home runs on the afternoon, including a towering three-run blast from designated hitter Austin Bost to push the Aggies into their double-digit lead.
A&M's victory was the largest of the tournament entering Thursday evening and has been the only game to end before the ninth inning. In total, the Aggies finished with 12 hits against the Gators' one.
"It's been the same thing we've done all season. It's about winning pitches and having the same approach 1 through 9, sticking to our plan," A&M third baseman Trevor Werner said. "It sounds simple, but take the balls and hit the strikes. We took advantage of the pitcher's mistakes, and that's how we did it."
The Aggies spent most of the day waiting for their time to take the field. A 6:45 a.m. wake up call was scheduled as the team packed initially backed its bags and headed to the stadium in hopes of getting things underway with a 9:30 a.m. first pitch.
Alabama weather had other plans. Five hours passed before right-hander Micah Dallas took the mound and went to work. Perhaps things would have been different if not for a spectacular grab by outfielder Jordan Thompson on the first at-bat.
Florida's left fielder Wyatt Langford cranked a fastball out to center, but Thompson's speed allowed him to track it down before crashing into the wall. Dallas credited that with setting the tone for the remainder of his afternoon.
"Just felt comfortable out there and just was being me," Dallas said. "Coach Schlossnagle and Coach Yeskie have done a great job of sticking with have believed in me this whole time, and my teammates have had my back this whole time."
Dallas' lone hit came in the second inning on a single up the middle from Gators' designated hitter Jac Caglianone. Three pitches later, the inning was over thanks to a strikeout. That was a common theme for Dallas throughout his five frames. The junior struck out seven Gators while walking just one on 81 pitches.
Reliever Joseph Menefee followed in a similar fashion, striking out the side in the sixth. Of his six outs, four came on punchouts while the other two were on grounders.
Werner put the Aggies on the board with a two-run shot in the third inning. A&M would add another run thanks to an RBI single from first baseman Jack Moss in the fifth. As the sixth inning rolled around, 13 Aggies went to the plate to tally seven hits along with the seven runs.
Second baseman Ryan Targac led the inning off with a solo home run. Thompson followed that up three at-bats later with a two-run dinger to left-center field. Outfielder Dylan Rock added another with a sacrifice fly to left before Bost cleared the bases on the next swing.
"Go check the SEC conference-only stats," A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "The Aggies' offense has been pretty darn good, too."
The Aggies return to the Met Friday to face Alabama. The Crimson Tide took the regular-season series 2-1 in Tuscaloosa back in March, scoring 20 runs against A&M's 16.
Sophomore Nathan Dettmer is expected to start. First pitch has yet to be determined as of this time.
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the All Aggies message board community today!
Follow AllAggies.com on Facebook and Twitter!
Want More Aggies News? Check Out The Latest In Texas A&M News Here