Jace LaViolette's Late Grand Slam Snaps Aggies' Four-Game Losing Streak Against Ole Miss
COLLEGE STATION -- Let the kids play.
Every youngster dreams of the moment. Down by a run with the bases loaded and two outs on the scoreboard as they step up to the plate. Outside of a shot to win the World Series in Game 7 at the bottom of the ninth, it doesn't get much sweeter than that.
Jace LaViolette won't be playing in the Fall Classic just yet. The freshman from Katy still has plenty to work on at the plate before the big leagues come calling. Still, while LaViolette might need a few more seasons in college, he sent Texas A&M fans home happy thanks to his grand slam in the seventh inning en route to an 8-6 victory at Blue Bell Park.
"The emotion of hitting a grand slam down by one, there's not much more you can ask for," LaViolette said postgame. "It was an amazing type of expirence."
The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Aggies and marks the first victory since March 19 against LSU. The long ball served as the catalyst for A&M's scoring, as seven runs came on four homers. Same with the velocity and 10 hits exited the bat at over 95 miles per hour.
Brett Minnich notched his first hit of the regular season with a 450-foot solo home run over right-center to put the Aggies on the board at the top of the second. Minnich, who missed 23 games after suffering a broken hand on Opening Day, launched another homer in the eighth inning for insurance purposes.
“The coaches have done a great job of letting me get in there,” Minnich said. “Coach [Nate] Yeskie has done a great job of letting me sit in on bullpens and stuff like that. I’ve got my timing down for a while, so now it’s just translating into the game.”
Jordan Thompson smacked an RBI double to tie the game at 2 apiece. Following a solo shot from Rebels' Anthony Calarco in the fourth, Trevor Werner returned the favor in the bottom half of the frame with a solo home run of his own.
While A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said he was pleased with starter Nathan Dettmer's outing, the first inning woes remain an issue. After allowing back-to-back singles to start the game, potential first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez launched a two-run shot to take the early lead.
Dettmer allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out four Rebels. Following an RBI double from Peyton Chatagnier to retake the lead, Schlossnagle called on Evan Aschenbeck to hold the lead at one.
Aschenbeck, who entered Friday with a 3.22 ERA, struck out the side to leave a pair of Rebels stranded. He allowed just one hit in two scoreless innings of work.
"Evan's the same guy every day," reliever Will Johnston said. "It doesn't matter the situation. I tell him all the time that 'Dude, I wake up every day and am like I want to play catch like you.' That guy puts the ball where he wants to all the time."
A lightning delay forced the Aggies to enter the clubhouse and wait to restart play. LaViolette said the team stayed loose by playing "ping pong baseball" while riding around in roller chairs. Johnston and several others played mafia, a game he considers his specialty.
The loose feel in the locker room made the players feel like little leaguers. Once the tarp was removed from the field, the kid-like feel carried over to the batter's box.
“That was huge for us,” LaViolette said. “We just came in here and had fun and were like kids again. It was a good time.”
Johnston replaced Aschenbeck following an 87-minute seventh inning stretch and worked his way through the eighth. The ninth came with several scares — including a two-run home run from Kemp Alderman — but a strikeout against Calarco ceased all conversations of a comeback.
“It has been a tough month for us, but that’s what baseball is,” Minnich said. “There are a lot of ups and downs in it, so we just need to take this as a good opportunity to build from and keep going.”
Schlossangle said his hope is that freshman Justin Lampkin and sophomore Troy Wansing can find enough stability to give A&M six innings to close out the weekend. The second-year manager isn't looking too far ahead, but with four games in five days next week, anything to keep the arms loose could benefit the program.
A win is a start for the program's resurgence, but a less-than-stellar showing from the rotation could have the Aggies reaching for answers again before Sunday's series finale.
“It’d be nice to have one starter get us deep into a ball game, but we’re facing a really good offensive team,” Schlossnagle said.
First pitch Saturday is set for 7:02 p.m.
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