COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 2 Texas A&M Aggies pounced for five runs in the sixth inning to win the series opener against the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels, 6-1, Thursday evening on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
Tied 1-1 in the sixth, Nick Choruby got things started with a leadoff infield single and he came around to score when J.B. Moss gapped a full-count pitch for double to left-center. Moss moved to third on a fly out to centerfield by Boomer White and came home when Hunter Melton punched a full-count offering to the wall in right-center for a double and the 3-1 lead. Melton’s hit drove starter Brady Bramlett from the game.
The Aggies gave reliever Brady Feigl a rude welcome with Ryne Birk hitting an RBI single to centerfield and Nick Banks following with a single. An error on a pickoff attempt at second and a stolen base by Banks put two runners in scoring position. Jonathan Moroney sent both runners home with a single to centerfield, staking the Aggies to a 6-1 lead.
Texas A&M (40-12, 19-9 SEC) manufactured a run in the bottom of the first inning. Choruby started the frame with a single up the middle and Moss singled through the right side. White pushed both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt and Melton pushed Choruby across with a groundout to first base.
Ole Miss (39-15, 17-11 SEC) knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the second. With two outs, Colby Bortles launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left-center for a solo home run.
Brigham Hill (7-1) was brilliant in the start to earn the win. He yielded one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight in 7.0 innings. Mark Ecker entered the game with a runner on first and no outs and retired six of the seven batters he faced, including two strikeouts.
Bramlett (7-3) was saddled with the loss. He allowed four runs on six hits while striking out four in 5.1 innings.
Moss and Moroney each had three hits to lead the Aggies. Moss went 3-for-4 with one double, one run and one RBI. Moroney batted 3-for-4 with one double and two RBI. Choruby batted 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot with two runs.
Will Golsan was the lone Rebel to tally multiple hits, going 2-for-4. In addition to Bortles’ home run, Ole Miss got an extra-base hit from J.B. Woodman who doubled in the sixth.
With the victory, the Aggies remained in a tie with Mississippi State atop the SEC Western Division standings. The Bulldogs dispatched of Arkansas, 7-0, on Thursday.
Game two of the series between the Aggies and Rebels is slated for 6:34 pm Friday on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Rob Childress
On the big sixth inning…
“I felt like our guys stayed committed to the approach with (Brady) Bramlett. You have to do that if you want to have any bit of success. We didn’t have much to show for it until the sixth inning. We had a lot of tough at-bats there in the sixth, really solid two-strike at-bats to get the inning going. Then were able to get some more big hits behind that to pull away. You are going to have to have a lot of good at-bats and we had eight incredible ones in a row, and you’re going to need that if you want to put up a crooked-number inning.”
Difference from Tuesday’s game…
“I felt like the guys came out today with some intent and ready to go, from the first minute we stepped on the field and during our pregame. It was a great Thursday night game.”
Senior outfielder Jonathan Moroney…
On the five-run sixth inning…
“That was just a great performance for every single person that was a part of it. It all got started with (Nick) Choruby putting the ball in play with two strikes. It was a snowball effect from there. It was pretty much contagious. They kept on making good pitches and we just stayed with our approach as a unit and it showed.”
Sophomore pitcher Brigham Hill
Thoughts on the performance…
“I was mostly using fastball-changeup. I didn’t need to throw too many sliders all night because those other two pitches were working for me, working the fastball inside. I felt great out there, letting my pitches work. I had a bunch of adrenaline and the offense was able to put up more than enough runs while we kept putting zeros up.”
Junior Outfielder Nick Choruby
On the big sixth inning…
“It felt really good to get it started there in the sixth. I know that if I can get on base the guys behind me are going to be able to do the job and get me in. I really enjoyed hitting leadoff tonight but, no matter where I am in the lineup the rule is always the same, just get on base for the guys behind me.”
