Recap: Pinch-Hit Power Cruises A&M To Win Over Islanders
COLLEGE STATION — One player cannot define a baseball roster. That said, one at-bat could change the game in favor of a win.
Texas A&M's Zane Schmidt probably believes that saying is right after his role Tuesday night.
With bases loaded in the bottom of the night, the freshman pinch hitter would knock in a run on an RBI single, helping the No.24 ranked Aggies pick up the 5-4 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The team's home streak improved to 13 straight while the losing one came to a halt at three.
Freshman jitters will always be a thing, but Schmidt, who's only seen 25 at-bats in his young career, could feel the pressure coming as the count played into his favor.
“At first I was fine [in the batter’s box],” Schmidt said. “Then once it got to 3-1 and everyone gets pretty loud in here, your knees start shaking a little bit, but it’s a great feeling to have.”
Six fastballs later, the game ended in favor of the 12th Man.
“I got a 2-0 count off the bat, which allowed me to see a couple pitches,” Schmidt said. “Eventually, it was a full-count fastball away, and I just took it the other way.”
The Aggies (11-3) returned to Blue Bell Park after a sweep in the Frisco Invitational. Hoping to regain some of the Olsen Field optimism, the team scored three runs in the first inning behind a two-run single from Hunter Coleman and a blooper from Ray Alejo.
Much like the breeze in their logo, the Islanders (6-7) changed the wind pattern in their favor. Corpus Christi would take a 4-3 lead following a three-run second inning and an RBI single from Drake Osborn in the third.
Although never wanted, walk-off wins are a part of the game. A&M's manager Rob Childress believes even against lesser opponents, teaching batters to get ahead in the count late will benefit them when facing conference members later this year.
“It was so much more important for us to play a game like this and come out on the winning side than it was to come out and have a feel-good, runaway win,” Childress said. “Having that stress and pressure of playing in a tight game again like we did this past weekend and to come out on the winning side was huge.”
The Islanders could have sealed a victory in the third if not for a heads up play by Mason Corbett. Off a single to left field, Corbett would throw a strike to the plate on a one-hopper to secure the final out.
Four innings later, the Aggies would tie things up with a Coleman RBI single. The Aggies' catcher would finish the night 2-of-4 with a pair of singles and three RBIs. Third baseman Logan Sartori would make a web-gem play in the eighth to help retire the Islanders with a runner in scoring position.
The pressure created a hurricane of disasters for the Islanders in the ninth. Zach DeLoach was hit by a pitch, while Sartori would reach first on an error from CC's catcher Drake Osborn. Ty Coleman would move the runners up with a sac bunt before the other Coleman would be intentionally walked.
From there, Schmidt would take care of the rest, sending the fans of section 203 home happy as the weather began to make its entrance.
"I'm very proud of our team," Childress said. "We made plays. From about the 4th inning on, defensively, we pitched incredibly well. Each guy we went to got their guy out. Offensively, we fought, scratched and clawed our way to a win."
The Aggies will have to wait until the weekend for a second go-around as weather conditions canceled Wednesday's outing. The team will return to the diamond Friday to take on New Mexico State for a three-game series.