Gobbling Up Gamecocks: No. 13 Texas A&M Smacks Five Homers In Win
Texas A&M fans got an early preview of Saturday's Kentucky Derby, as the Aggies were off to the races in another SEC series opener.
The No. 13 Aggies smacked five home runs on the way to 16-4 win over South Carolina on Friday. The victory marks A&M's sixth consecutive series-opening win and fifth against league opponents.
“It sets up the rest of the series," A&M left fielder Austin Bost said. “I mean, if we come out and bang on Friday night, it just sets up the rest of the series for us to go out there and know that we can compete with any pitcher they have."
Bost shined in his own way, going 2 of 5 with a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Second baseman Ryan Targac and first baseman Jack Moss launched moon balls of their own in the fifth and sixth, respectively.
Outfielder Jordan Thompson stole the show for A&M (29-15, 13-9) in the eighth inning. Filling in for Logan Britt, Thompson waited for his pitch before driving a no-doubt grand slam over the left field wall to extend the lead to 12.
"There are different ways to have a good team offense,” Texas A&M manager Jim Schlossnagle said. "We scored two runs the other night in the first couple of innings without the benefit of a hit. That’s a sign of a good offense. They walked us a couple of times, stole five bases in the first two or three innings and we scored two runs."
Six players had hits for A&M, with five recording multiple base knocks. A&M also remained disciplined at the plate, reaching base 21 times, including walks, errors and wild pitches.
Designated hitter Dylan Rock showed a good eye agains the Gamecocks’ pitching, drawing a team-high five walks and scoring two runs.
“He takes what you give him," Schlossnagle said of Rock’s vision. "He’s not going to over-swing. He’s not going to get outside of himself. He’s not going to get outside the strike zone, and when he’s healthy — he’s a little banged up right now — but when he’s healthy, he can steal bases."
Sophomore Nathan Dettmer likely won't be taking home his third SEC Pitcher of the Week honors after a brief stint on the mound. He allowed three runs off seven hits and only struck out one batter in 4 2/3 innings of work — his shortest appearance since LSU in March.
Joseph Menefee made the most of his 3 1/3 innings, striking out five Gamecocks and allowing two hits. Jack Hamilton allowed one walk, but mowed down the final two batters to conclude the night.
“I thought that Dettmer obviously didn’t have his best stuff at all,” Schlossnagle said. “He was laboring from the beginning, but it’s always good when you can win when your Friday night guy doesn’t do that well.”
The Aggies return to Olsen Field on Saturday with left-hander Micah Dallas on the mound. First pitch is set for 2:02 p.m.
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