A&M Wins Opener at Mississippi State, 6-3, with Late Surge

Friday, April 27

Starkville, Miss.

6:30 p.m.

Texas A&M

31-11, 10-9

Mississippi State

23-20, 8-11

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

Photo by: Thomas Campbell/Texas A&M Athletics

Apr 27, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score - A&M 6, MSU 3 Highlights

STARKVILLE, Mississippi – The No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies erased a 3-1 deficit with one run in both the sixth and seventh innings and used a three-run eighth to close the deal in a 6-3 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Friday night's series opener at Dudy Noble Field.

George Janca led the Aggies at the plate with a solo home run and a two-run single. Allonte Wingate came off the bench to go 2-for-3 with two runs. Braden Shewmake batted 3-for-4 with one walk and one run scored. Hunter Coleman drew a pair of walks and added a sacrifice fly in three plate appearances. Will Frizzell added two RBI.

Aggie starter Mitchell Kilkenny battled through 6.0 innings, yielding three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four. Kaylor Chafin (3-0) picked up the win in relief, scattering a hit and a walk while striking out four in 2.0 innings. Nolan Hoffman earned his eighth save of the season, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth, including one strikeout.

The Aggies improved to 31-11 overall and 10-9 in the SEC. Mississippi State dropped to 23-20 overall and 8-11 in league action.

NEXT UP
The Aggies and Bulldogs play another 6:32 p.m. contest Saturday evening at Dudy Noble Field.

SCORING SUMMARY
T1 | The Aggies drew first blood, manufacturing a run in the first. Michael Helman drew a leadoff walk and hustled to third on Shewmake's one-out single to centerfield. Helman came home on a sacrifice fly by Hunter Coleman. A&M 1, MSU 0

B2 | With one out, Josh Hatcher singled to leftfield and advanced to second on a passed ball. With two outs, Elijah MacNamee and Marshall Gilbert both gapped RBI doubles to right-center. MSU 2, A&M 1.

B4 | Hunter Stovall hit a wall-banger down the rightfield line for a leadoff triple and with two outs he came home on a single through the left side by Gilbert. MSU 3, A&M 1.

T6 | Wingate and Shewmake poked singles through the right and left side, respectively, to start the inning. Coleman pushed both runners into scoring position with a groundout to third and Will Frizzell knocked in a run with a grounder to short. MSU 3, A&M 2.

T7 | Janca knotted the game, knocking a 1-0 offering over the wall in left-center for a leadoff home run. A&M 3, MSU 3.

T8 | Wingate stirred the drink again in the eighth with a leadoff single and Shewmake followed with a single up the middle. Coleman drew a walk to fill the bags with Ags and Frizzell used another grounder to knock in a run, this time to second base. With two outs, Janca singled to rightfield, scoring Shewmake and Coleman for the three-run lead. A&M 6, MSU 3.