No. 22 Texas A&M Takes Care of Incarnate Word With Run Rule-Shortened Victory

The No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies sent the hometown crowd home early Tuesday night (or to Reed Arena for the basketball game, either one) with an 11-1 win over the Incarnate Word Cardinals that ended two innings early thanks to the mercy rule.

Texas A&M's freshman shortstop Boston Kellner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, capping off a four-run seventh inning for the Maroon and White, enough to give them the early win.

The Ags struck first in the bottom of the second with a solo home run by Jake Duer, and the lead was theirs for the remainder of the ball game.

Aggies Down Cardinals In Seven Innings

Texas A&M Aggies pitcher Josh Stewart (12) | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

It may not have been the 21-1 blowout that A&M put on against the Cardinals last season, but it still featured an elite offense that caught fire late and led to a runaway victory.

After Duer's long ball in the second, Gavin Grahovac tacked on two more runs the following inning with a double off the top of the wall in right center, and Ben Royo's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning scored Nico Partida and put the Aggies up by four early on in the contest.

The Cardinals would get on the board with a single by center fielder Trent Rucker, but that was all she wrote in terms of run support for Incarnate Word.

Kellner's game-winning hit by pitch with the bases loaded wasn't even the first one in the game, as Grahovac also took a pitch to the body with the bases juiced in the bottom of the sixth inning, which led to a two-run single by Duer for his second and third RBI on the afternoon in a three-run inning for Michael Earley's squad.

The scoring in the bottom of the seventh that eventually ended the game was kickstarted by A&M freshman outfielder Jorian Wilson launching his second home run of the year to add two more runs for the Aggies, which was later rounded out by a sacrifice fly from Caden Sorrell and the game-winning run as a result of Kellner being hit by a pitch.

Pitcher Juan Vargas took the win for the Aggies after throwing three perfect innings in his first start with A&M, and Josh Stewart recorded his first save of the 2026 season.

Duer was the most efficient Aggie bat Tuesday night, going 3-for-3 with the homer and two singles along with two walks and three runs batted in.

Head coach Michael Earley even went as far as to compare Duer to another well-known left-handed hitter that had graced College Station with his bat in recent times.

"Jake's a really good hitter. I mean, just the ability to hit a home run to the pull side gap and then have a little Jack Moss-esque swing to the other side," Earley said. "I won't say he's your prototypical four-hole hitter, but it's how you view the spot."

For those who don't recall, Moss was a first baseman for the Aggies during the 2022 and 2023 seasons that specialized in finding gaps and hitting for average, putting together a .352 average over his three years in college.

The Aggies now prep for a weekend series against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies starting Friday at 6:00 PM at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.