Trevor Werner, Jordan Thompson Each Homer In Aggies' Win Over Missouri
Everyone in baseball loves the home run trot around the bases. The feeling of scoring a run is second to none among the players and fans.
On Thursday, Texas A&M third baseman Trevor Werner and center fielder Jordan Thompson relished the moment as they rounded third.
Werner's solo homer in the second inning was just the preamble to a 13-5 win against Missouri at Blue Bell Stadium. A nine-run third inning helped A&M coast through the final six frames to start the new series with a bang.
“Not the prettiest game, obviously,” Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “A lot of free bases on both sides. Thankfully, we got the big hits when we had guys on base there in the third inning. We'll take it.”
A&M jumped on the opportunity to double its run against an SEC opponent after dropping the mid-week series to UTSA. Austin Bost and Werner kicked off the scoring with bases-loaded walks to tie the game at 3 apiece. Both came around to score on an RBI single from Ryan Targac.
Targac, one of the A&M's top hitters from its 2022 College World Series, seems to be back on course at the plate. After entering the Ole Miss series with a .174 batting average, the junior's been an RBI machine, plating eight runs in nine games.
“It’s good to just put the barrel on the ball,” Targac said. “Whenever you do that, that kind of starts something, you know? You start to see the ball better. You start to try to put together good [at-bats]. So I think from that point on, I’ve had just more barreled balls and a lot better [at-bats].”
Thompson kept the offensive explosion up with a 433-foot two-run homer to extend the Aggies' lead by six. Jack Moss gave the grand finale with an RBI single to plate Hunter Haas.
Starting pitching remains a concern as the Aggies' rotation hasn't captured a win since March 11. Nathan Dettmer's command struggled through the first two frames, issuing a career-high five walks in 3.2 innings. Mizzou's first baseman Hank Zeisler capitalized on Dettmer's struggle with the lackluster heater by launching a two-run homer in the third.
“The only pitch he could throw for a strike was his slider,” Schlossnagle said. “I thought once he pitched out of the second inning, I was like, ‘OK, maybe he could get us a few,’ and then we scored [nine] runs, and it wasn’t his night.”
Usually, A&M's bullpen keeps the offense in games. On Thursday, it kept Missouri out of it. Shane Sdao allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three in 3.1 innings. Braud Rudis delivered back-to-back scoreless frames to close out the night.
Six different Aggies totaled a hit, while Targac and Jace LaViolette finished with two. As an offense, A&M hit .308 with runners in scoring position.
“It’s good to get the opening night win but it already happened,” Targac said. “We put it in the past and tomorrow is a new day."
The Aggies return to Blue Bell Park Friday for Game 2 of the three-game series. The first ptich is scheduled for 6:02 p.m.
Schlossnagle said the starter for Friday night is still to be determined.
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