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Aggies Clinch Third Straight SEC Series with 8-2 Win at Alabama

Posted at 10:38 PM, Apr 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-14 23:38:02-04

The Texas A&M Aggies pounded out 15 hits and Corbin Martin allowed just one run over 7.0 innings as the Maroon and White cruised to an 8-2 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide Friday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to clinch the series.

Every player in the Aggies starting lineup logged a hit. Cole Bedford led the attack, going 4-for-5 with one double, one home run and three RBI. Nick Choruby batted 3-for-4 with one walk and three runs.

Martin (4-2) scattered four hits and two walks while striking out five. John Doxakis finished off the game with 2.0 innings of relief, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out four.

Texas A&M (25-11, 7-7 SEC) drew first blood in the top of the first inning. Choruby started the frame by bouncing a single up the middle and with one out he moved to second base on a slow roller to shortstop by Braden Shewmake. Hunter Coleman slashed a single to leftfield, knocking Choruby in for the lid-lifter.

The Aggies inflated the cushion to 5-0 in the top of the third. George Janca laced a single through the left side of the infield and with one out Logan Foster hit a wall-banger to leftfield for a double, putting two runners in scoring position. Shewmake drove in Janca with a groundout to second base for the 2-0 lead. After Coleman was issued a base on balls, Bedford hit a three-run dinger, his second home run of the season to widen the gap to five runs.

The lead ballooned to 7-0 in the fifth inning with Shewmake knocking in a run with a single and Joel Davis pushing a run across with a sacrifice fly.

Alabama (14-21, 2-12 SEC) shaved a run off the lead in the sixth. Walker McCleney bounced a single up the middle to start the inning. He stole second base and moved to third on a throwing error. Chandler Avant sent McCleney home with sacrifice fly.

In the eighth inning, Texas A&M tacked on an insurance run with an infield single by Choruby and a wall-banging double Blake Kopetsky, staking the Maroon and White to an 8-1 margin.

Texas A&M’s bullpen had their scoreless streak snapped at 21.0 innings when Alabama touched up Doxakis for a run in the home half of the eighth. Avant drew a one-out walk and scored on a two-out double by Cobie Vance.

Vance accounted for two of the Crimson Tide’s five hits.

Dylan Duarte (2-3) was saddled with the loss. He yielded seven runs on nine hits and one walk over 4.1 innings.

The Aggies go for their first SEC series sweep of the season Saturday with a 2:02 pm contest at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Head Coach Rob Childress

On getting the series win…

“I’m very proud of our team going out on the road and winning a series. We have a chance to sweep. It starts on the mound with our defense. Corbin was special. Doxakis was great behind him and we played almost flawless defense. From an offensive standpoint we continued to keep them on their heels. We scored early and it allowed us to breathe a little bit and we continued to keep the pressure on them throughout.”

On what was working for Corbin Martin…

“All four pitches were working. He was able to get ahead and use the fastball early and late and the secondary stuff in the middle of some counts. He did a really nice job.”

On Cole Bedford’s day at the plate…

“Cole continues to grow as a player. He’s really improved as a defender and from an offensive standpoint he’s a guy who has forced us to play him every day. Along with Hunter Coleman, we have two catchers that are not only great defenders but are also very good offensive players who are in the lineup every day.”

Junior RHP Corbin Martin

On his outing…

“From the go our hitters were putting runs on the board. It made it a lot easier for me to go out and just attack and let the guys behind me make plays. I was throwing the ball down in the zone which was helping me all night. I was getting early outs again. I felt like I was pitching like I was at LSU. The offense just kept taking it to them. Starting 1-5 in SEC play was rough, but our guys haven’t given up and being back at .500 is huge.”

Sophomore DH Cole Bedford

On his day at the plate…

“We had a pretty good approach at the plate. Their starter doesn’t throw very hard, but he’s crafty so we want to get up on the plate and dominate the fastball.”

On his home run…

“I had a fastball. I think he was trying to go in on me. It was a two-seam and it got out on the plate and I ran into it.”

On winning a road series in the SEC…

Any time you can go on the road and take two and have chance to sweep on the road it’s huge. We want to come out tomorrow and take care of business.”