Bulldogs Win Series Opener With Walk-Off HR vs. Aggies
A home run can change the outcome of any baseball game. In Starkville, a pair of long balls dictated the outcome of Thursday night's showdown between Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
Outfielder Ryan Targac launched a pair of dingers over the right-field wall to give A&M the lead twice at Dudy Noble Field. But standing in the opposing dugout was Amani Larry, who smacked two home runs himself, including a walk-off two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth to give the Bulldogs the 10-8 victory.
A&M (30-23, 12-16 SEC) seemed to be in control of the outing entering the bottom half of the game with a 7-2 lead. Then came the Bulldogs (27-24, 9-19), two years removed from winning the College World Series and technically still alive in the race to make the SEC Tournament next week in Hoover, Ala.
Mississippi State chipped away at the Aggies' five-run lead in the bottom of the fifth by plating three runs. An inning later, the game was tied at 7 apiece thanks to Larry's solo home run and a sacrifice fly from Hunter Hines.
Targus, who's primarily played the outfield since Brett Minnch's shoulder injury, broke the stalemate in the top of the seventh with a solo shot down the right-field line that just managed to stay fair. A&M's pitching managed to get out of jams in the seventh and eighth but watched the lead dwindle with two outs in the final frame.
A&M closer Brandyn Garcia issues a pair of walks following a flyout, thus forcing manager Jim Schlossnalge to return to the bullpen and call on the vet. With Will Johnston on the close things out, the Bulldogs tied the game thanks to a wild pitch against Larry.
A pitch later, Larry secured the victory with his seventh long ball of the regular season. Garcia (2-3), who walked both batters before being pulled, was credited with the loss.
Starter Nathan Dettmer looked like his 2023 self away from Blue Bell Park in the last 4.2 innings while allowing four runs on six hits. He issued three walks and struck two batters.
The Aggies caught a break on the base path thanks to excellent plate discipline. Mississippi State issued 15 walks on the night, but A&M only drove in five players. The Aggies stranded 16 total runners after being 4-of-15 with runners in scoring position.
Target finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double a four RBI. His three-run blast in the fourth put the Aggies on top and proved to be the start of a promising inning. A&M scored two more runs to take a 6-1 leads thanks to Jace LaViolette's walk and a fielder's choice to second on a Jordan Thompson groundout.
Every game matters now for A&M to remain in the hunt of guaranteeing its spot in next month's NCAA Tournament. A series loss likely puts the Aggies in win-now mode entering next week's conference tournament at The Hoover Met.
The Aggies return to action at Dudy Noble Field for a 6 p.m. first pitch Friday. Neither program has announced its potential starter as of this time.
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