Texas A&M's Offense Reaches New Levels In Series Sweep Over Auburn

The Texas A&M Aggies baseball team continues to terrorize opponents after a series-clinching win against Auburn.

Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M Aggies pitcher Ryan Prager (18) throws against the / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

A series sweep still is perfection even if the path to victory comes with its trials.

In what could only be described as Texas A&M's worst pitching performance of the regular season, late-inning magic on Friday and Saturday evenings to secure three straight wins over No. 21 Auburn. The No. 4 Aggies (25-3, 6-3 SEC) combined for 31 total runs, including three long balls from right fielder Braden Montgomery.

"It feels great to have another number in the win column," Montgomery said following Friday's win. "I was just seeing the ball over the plate and was able to put some really good swings on off-speed pitches today."

Montgomery, a transfer from Stanford, continues to be one of the nation's hottest hitters. He leads all NCAA players in RBI (46), ranks sixth in home runs (13), and 12th in slugging percentage (.853). He also leads the Aggies in home runs, RBI, doubles, OPS, and slugging percentage.

For the weekend, the junior finished 7 of 14 at the plate with seven RBI, two walks and a hit by pitch.

"I saw a bunch of guys having fun and sticking to what we do," Montgomery said. "We trust ourselves, and we swing at strikes and take balls, and I think we did a good job of executing that plan tonight."

In Game 1, the Aggies took an early 3-0 lead off Montgomery's first dinger of the weekend, but the Tigers (16-11, 1-8 SEC) tied the game in the fourth with a three-run blast over the left field wall. A&M responded in the bottom frame by plating three before Auburn came back marching in the sixth to tie it at six apiece.

Jun 21, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle (22) celebrates the win over / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers' pitching loaded the bases in the bottom frame before drilling Jackson Appel. They'd later walk in Ted Burton while Montgomery would score Hayden Schott from third on a sac fly.

Ace Ryan Prager lasted 4.1 innings after tossing 72 pitches. It wasn't his best day on the mound as he surrendered three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two. Chris Cortez wasn't better, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in .2 innings.

Evan Aschenbeck continued to marvel on the mound as the nation's top reliever. In four innings of relief, the lefty allowed just one run off two hits while striking out five.

"What more can be said about the guy than has already been said? The biggest decision I have to make all weekend, every weekend, is: When are we going to use him?" A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle explained. "I just felt like that was the time."

In Game 2, the Aggies racked up 16 hits to plate 12 in a four-run win. Ten of the 11 Aggies who saw action recorded at least one hit while five A&M players with two or more.

Montgomery sent two over the wall in the fifth and eighth, respectively, and finished 3 of 5. Gavin Grahovac went 2 of 4 with an RBI and a walk, while Burton went 3 of 5 with an RBI. Ali Camarillo kept the home run streak alive with a solo blast to left field in the bottom of the seventh.

The Tigers bounced back with a three-run sixth, but the Aggies plated five in the bottom frame and two more across the next two innings to make it 10-4. Right-hander Tanner Jones wasn't perfect, but he struck out five in five frames to mark his longest start of the season.

In the top of the ninth, Ike Irish turned an 0-2 fastball into a souvenir with a grand slam over the right field wall to bring Auburn within two. Schlossnagle turned to Brock Peery following a double off Peyton Smith to close the door.

"There's nothing that's more of a heartbreaker than putting a few runs in an inning and having an answer right back in your face when you go on defense," Montgomery said. "That just kind of speaks to the guys that we have and the ability to then respond again to that."

Game 3 was the best of the bunch, but also the most frustrating matchup. The Aggies totaled 16 hits, including the game-winning walk-off single from Burton in 12 innings, but they also stranded stranded 14 baserunners.

Auburn took the early 3-0 lead in the second off a pair of singles. A&M responded in the bottom frame with an RBI double from Ryan Targac. Montgomery blasted a two-run home run in the third to make it 4-3. Caden Sorrell tacked on another run with an RBI single.

The Tigers used a three-run eighth inning to tie the game and pick up steam. A&M retook the lead in the bottom frame off an RBI groundout from Camarillo, but Auburn answered back with a pinch-hit solo shot from Gavin Miller.

In the 12th, Montgomery doubled and advanced to third on a groundout from Appell. On a 3-1 off-speed pitch, Burton rocketed a single up the middle to secure the first conference sweep of the regular season.

“You got a team over there fighting, scratching, and clawing to get back in the conference race, so proud of our guys to hang in,” Schlossnagle said. 

The Aggies improve to 20-1 at Blue Bell Park after hitting .347 (42 of 121) with nine home runs, and 17 walks. They also improve to 4-0 on the week, having picked up a 6-3 victory over Houston Christian on Tuesday evening.

A&M hits the road for the next four games with a midweek matchup against Texas State and a three-game trip against South Carolina.