No. 25 Texas A&M Holds Off Late Charge to Take Game 1 Vs. Missouri Tigers

It was come and go in the later stages of the contest, but the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies secured their first win over the Missouri Tigers with Michael Earley at the helm, defeating their conference opponents 11-9 in Columbia Friday night for Game 1 of their three-game weekend series.

After scoring first and getting out to as big as a nine-run lead at one point for the Aggies, the Tigers came crawling back and were close to yanking the rug out from under the Maroon and White, but A&M held strong and were able to grab their third conference win of the year.

Reliever Juan Vargas took the win on the evening, his second of the year, and Clayton Freshcorn recorded save number six for 2026.

Aggies Hold On For Series Opener Win Vs. Mizzou

Texas A&M Aggies outfielder Caden Sorrell (13) singles in a run against the Tennessee Volunteers during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The two teams traded runs in the opening stages of the game, with A&M third baseman Nico Partida's RBI single bringing in Gavin Grahovac and Missouri left fielder Donovan Jordan brought in a runner with a sacrifice fly to put each team on the board.

The teams remained knotted at one until the Aggies ripped it open in the fourth inning and plated seven runs, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Caden Sorrell, his 13th of the season, as well as a solo shot by Jorian Wilson, his fourth long ball of the year.

The fifth inning saw Aggies outfielder Terrence Kiel II single into left field and drive in two more runs, giving A&M a 10-1 lead after five innings of offense.

And then the comeback began for the Tigers.

A three-run home run by designated hitter Cameron Benson, a two-run single from Pierre Seals, and another RBI single by Jase Woita put together a six-run bottom of the fifth for Missouri, putting them right back into contention for the win.

That chance of victory seemed to trend more in favor of the home team when Woita homered in the seventh inning and catcher Mateo Serna added another run, further cutting A&M's lead to a single run heading into the final two innings.

Thankfully, for the Aggies, they had Chris Hacopian to hit in an additional run of support in the top of the ninth, and they had Clayton Freshcorn to shut the door and tame the Tigers for the night, pitching the final two innings and only allowing one hit and striking out three with 25 pitches.

The first pitch for Game 2 of the weekend series is scheduled for 4:00 PM Saturday, where the Aggies look for another conference win to further redeem themselves after Missouri swept a vulnerable Texas A&M club last year at Blue Bell Park.

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