No. 3 Aggies Roll Past No. 22 South Carolina in Series Opener, 9-2

COLUMBIA – Ryan Prager delivered his fourth quality start of the year and the No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team rolled past No. 22 South Carolina, 9-2, in the series opener Friday night from Founders Park.
 
The win marked the seventh straight for the Aggies (27-3), who are off to their best 30-game start since 2015.
 
Prager improved to 6-0 on the year after tossing 6.1 innings of two-run baseball to go along with 12 strikeouts. The redshirt sophomore gave up only four hits on the night and did not allow a walk for the fourth time this season.
 
Hayden Schott led the offensive charge for the Maroon & White as the senior went 2-for-5 with a game-best three RBI. The multi-hit game marked his 11th of the year and fifth in the last six games. Catcher Jackson Appel also logged a multi-hit performance for Texas A&M, finishing 2-for-5 with an RBI.
 
The Aggies jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening frame behind RBI singles from Appel and Ali Camarillo and a two-run double from Schott.
 
After South Carolina cut into the lead with a solo homer in the second, the Maroon & White posted another crooked number in the third, all with two outs. Caden Sorrell kept the inning alive with a two-out walk and came around to score after swiping second on an RBI single from Ryan Targac. Freshman Gavin Grahovac put an exclamation mark on the frame with a two-run homer to left that traveled 356 feet and left the bat at 106 mph.
 
The long ball marked the 10th of the year for the rookie.
 
Schott stretched the lead to 8-1 in the sixth with a two-out RBI single to center that plated Appel, who reached on a double down the line in left. The two-out RBI marked the fourth of the game for Texas A&M.
 
In the seventh, the Gamecocks loaded the bases with two outs and pushed across a run before Evan Aschenbeck entered the game and slammed the door shut with a strikeout.
 
The Maroon & White got the run back in the eighth on a Ted Burton RBI fielder's choice to make the final 9-2.

Inside the Box Score

• Texas A&M totaled 13 hits and drew six walks.
• Ten different Aggies recorded a hit on the night.
• Appel and Schott registered multi-hit performances for the Aggies.
• Jace LaViolette drew a game-best three walks.
• Burton registered a pair of walks.
• As a staff, the Maroon & White struck out 17 Gamecocks.
• Aschenbeck delivered 1.1 scoreless frames in relief to go along with three punchouts.
• Brock Peery finished the night with a scoreless ninth and two strikeouts.
• Brad Rudis also made an appearance in relief for the Aggies.

 Notes

• With the win, Texas A&M evened the all-time series with South Carolina at 11-11.
• The Aggies have won five of the last six meetings against the Gamecocks.
• Prager retired 11 in a row, including nine via the strikeout from end of the second to the bottom half of the sixth.
• The redshirt sophomore also struck out the side in the third and fifth innings.
• Grahovac pushed his on-base streak to 19 games.
• Camarillo has now reached base safely in 16 consecutive contests.
• Appel extended his on-base streak to 15 games in the win.

 Up Next
The Maroon & White will look to claim the series tomorrow afternoon as game two is set for 3 p.m. CST from Founders Park.   
 
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