Drama, offensive hitting, rain delays, and more encapsulated the annual Lone Star Showdown series on the diamond between No. 18 Texas A&M and No. 2 Texas. The Aggies defended home field, taking the first two games to secure the series victory. Timely offense and answered questions from the bullpen stole the show in front of nationally televised audiences and over 7,600 fans both days. Constant rain cost the finale to be cancelled, despite waiting over eight hours to see if Mother Nature would cooperate.
The shortened series was productive for A&M and should provide a spark heading into the second half of the SEC gauntlet.
Texas A&M’s collective effort was the difference in Friday’s opener as the Aggies (26-7, 8-5) toppled #2 Texas 9-8 in Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park in College Station, Texas, as the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown began. Drama ensued from start to finish in Friday’s instant classic, as a Longhorn error ultimately brought home the deciding run for the Maroon and White.
Texas (27-6, 9-4) drew first blood after two scoreless frames. Shane Sdao loaded the bases on a hit batter, walk and soft single in the third. The visitors used a sacrifice fly to break the ice at 1-0.
A&M responded immediately in the bottom half, a theme across Friday’s thriller. Boston Kellner tripled to lead off the inning and came home on Gavin Grahovac’s game-tying double. A passed ball got Grahovac to third, allowing Caden Sorrell to give the Aggies a 2-1 lead with an RBI groundout.
With two outs in the fourth, the Longhorns snuck a double inside the right field line to knot the game at two. Texas A&M grabbed the lead again in the bottom half on Nico Partida’s 10th homer of the year into Aggie Alley.
That lead didn’t last a half inning, as Texas landed a two-run blast into their bullpen to give themselves a 4-3 advantage and forced Sdao out of the game. Ethan Darden entered and avoided additional damage to keep it a one-run game. The offense rewarded Darden, as Grahovac and Sorrell evened the game with a triple from the junior and another RBI grounder off Sorrell’s bat.
Texas swung the momentum back with an opposite-field, two-out, two-run homer in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead, the largest for either team up to that point.
Once again, A&M responded in the bottom half. Bear Harrison’s four-pitch walk with the bases juiced got the deficit within one at 6-5. Following a pitching change, Kellner tied things with his own bases-loaded free pass. Grahovac sent the next pitch into right field, which was good enough for a sacrifice fly. Aggies took the lead against 7-6, the sixth lead change of the game.
After the seventh inning stretch, Jorian Wilson extended the lead to 8-6 on his sacrifice fly that scored Jake Duer.
Insurance, which eventually became the go-ahead run, was collected in the eighth. With two outs, Sorrell singled and stole second. Chris Hacopian hit a routine groundball to the shortstop that looked destined to end the frame. A throwing error allowed Sorrell to score before Hacopian was tagged out at second base, making it 9-6 A&M.
Clayton Freshcorn continued his relief appearance, having entered back in the seventh. Despite allowing back-to-back solo shots in the ninth that cut the lead to 9-8, the junior locked down the final two outs to secure game one of the rivalry series. He earned his seventh save of the campaign.
GAME 2: #18 A&M 11, #2 Texas 4
An eight-run first inning, combined with solid pitching, propelled Texas A&M to an 11-4 victory over No. 2 Texas on Saturday afternoon inside Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. By virtue of taking the first two games, the Aggies (27-7, 9-5) clinched the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown series over the Longhorns, as well as their third straight SEC series.
Under ominous skies, Texas cashed in immediately off Aidan Sims. A leadoff double scored thanks to an Aggie fielding error. Sims got out of the inning thanks to a 4-6-3 double play to send A&M up to bat for the first time.
The home squad helped their starter right away. Amidst a downpour, Nico Partida doubled with the bases loaded to bring home two and give A&M a 2-1 lead. The rain got harder quickly, and 20 minutes after starting the contest, the tarp was on and halted the contest.
After an hour and 38-minute delay, the game resumed. Terrence Kiel II walked to put Aggies on all three bases. Bear Harrison delivered, doubling to left for the second two-run hit of the frame and a 4-1 advantage. After loading the bases for a third time in the inning, Gavin Grahovac had the biggest blow, clearing the bags with a triple. He scored on the very next pitch, thanks to Caden Sorrell’s ringing double off the wall, and made it 8-1 Aggies. A&M sent 12 to the plate, and following a pitching change, the opening inning came to a close over two hours after it began.
Teams traded runs in the third. Texas got a solo shot to close the deficit to 8-2 before a Boston Kellner sacrifice fly in the bottom half grew the lead back to seven and a 9-2 score. Another Longhorn homer in the fifth chopped the lead to 9-3 in favor of Texas A&M.
In the sixth, Sorrell went big fly with his 40th career Texas A&M longball and the 17th of the season. The SEC leader in homers notched a two-run shot 418-feet away from home to put the Aggies comfortably in front 11-3.
Texas added their fourth run of the day off the bat of Aidan Robbins in the eighth. The Longhorn notched his second consecutive multi-homer game and had four total in the series.
That solo shot was the only blemish on Gavin Lyons’ ledger. In relief, the sophomore threw the final 4.1 innings and retired the final five batters he faced. He got the final two via strikeout, of which he had five total in his outing.
GAME 3: #2 Texas @ #18 A&M (Canceled/Due to Rain)
Mother Nature did not let the Aggies and Longhorns play Sunday, as the series finale was canceled after a delay north of eight hours.
Originally scheduled for a noon first pitch, the tarp remained on at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, with an unknown start time. Multiple conversations were made over the course of the afternoon and evening. Conference rules required the game start before 10 p.m. CT, and it seemed as if the rain and lightning would let up and allow a 9:30 p.m. first pitch. Shortly before that new start, an official announcement was made that the contest had been canceled.
Thanks to two wins on Friday and Saturday, Texas A&M secured their first series victory over the Longhorns since 2012. Additionally, it is the first series victory for the Maroon and White over Texas at one location since 1991. (Both teams used to host at least one game during the regular season series between 1993 and 2012). By virtue of the cancellation, this is the second regular season series sweep of Texas at home in Aggie baseball program history (1991, three-game sweep) and the fifth all-time in program history (1942, 1959, 1966, 1991).
Texas A&M’s season continues with Tuesday’s midweek contest versus Houston (16-18, 3-12 Big 12) at 6:00 p.m. in College Station. Then, it’s a three-game set in Cajun Country for a road series against the reigning national champions, the LSU Tigers (22-15, 6-9 SEC).
