Bullpen Blows Late Lead, Texas A&M Falls To Houston
Texas A&M's bullpen has been one of the glaring weaknesses entering the halfway point of the 2022 season. A strong start but lackluster relief leads to a loss at Blue Bell Park.
Wash, rinse, repeat on Tuesday night.
The Aggies allowed seven runs in the final two innings as Houston took down the Aggies at home, 8-2. The loss now marks the fourth game this season where A&M's bullpen has allowed more than two runs late.
"We haven't been consistent out of the bullpen on the mound, and we haven't played good situational baseball," Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said postgame.
Entering the seventh inning, the score remained tied at one. Designated hitter Austin Bost would tattoo a ball off Cougars' outfielder Alex Lopez's glove on the warning track, leading to a one-out triple. A&M (10-6) took the lead on the next pitch thanks to a sacrifice fly to center.
One frame later, the lead was gone. A leadoff error to Brandon Uhse eventually placed runners at the corners. The hits kept coming and soon, the Cougars (11-6) were up 6-2.
The combination of Chris Cortez, Joseph Menefee and Robert Hogan worked to grab just one out before Will Johnston got the final two. Cortez was credited to two runs against his stat line. Menefee and Hogan each allowed one. Johnston allowed a base-clearing triple, thus putting pressure on A&M's bats to wake up.
They didn't. The Aggies stranded 11 batters and had the bases loaded twice. A&M finished 2 of 13 with runners in scoring position.
"I don't want that to define him," Schlossnagle said of Johnston's outing "He's going to play a much bigger role, starting this weekend."
The Aggies are set to begin SEC play starting Friday against No. 6 LSU. A&M remains down several bats, primarily missing the combination of third baseman Trevor Werner and second baseman Ryan Targac, both of whom have missed time with injuries.
"It'd like to see our team healthy," Schlossnagle said. "I'd like to see our team play when the wind is not blowing in."
The Aggies will travel to Baton Rouge, La. for a three-game series against the Tigers. First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 6:32 p.m.
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