HOOVER, Ala. – The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team dropped its opening game of the SEC Tournament, 5-3, to No. 5 seed Mississippi State Wednesday evening from the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala.
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Chris Cortez suffered the loss after allowing two runs, both unearned, over 2.1 innings of work. In the outing, the junior totaled a game-best five strikeouts. Starter Brad Rudis earned a no-decision after allowing one run in two frames of action. Â
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Ali Camarillo was a bright spot offensively for the Aggies (44-12) as the junior went 2-for-3 at the dish with a double. Braden Montgomery, Hayden Schott and Ted Burton registered the only other hits on the night for the Maroon & White. Â
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After the Bulldogs (38-19) plated the first run of the night on a wild pitch in the second, they added to their lead, 3-0, in the third with a two-run homer to left.
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The Aggies got a run back in the third as Camarillo, who reached on a double, crossed the plate on a Jace LaViolette RBI fielder's choice.
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In the sixth, the Maroon & White evened the score at 3-3 behind an RBI sacrifice fly from Jackson Appel and an RBI double from Schott. Â Â
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With the bases loaded in the ninth, Mississippi State broke the tie with a two-out two-run single up the middle. In the bottom half, Texas A&M went down in order as they fell 5-3.
Inside the Box Score
The Aggies will face No. 1 seed Tennessee in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon at approximately 1 p.m. from the Hoover Met.Â
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Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram and X by following @aggiebaseball.
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Chris Cortez suffered the loss after allowing two runs, both unearned, over 2.1 innings of work. In the outing, the junior totaled a game-best five strikeouts. Starter Brad Rudis earned a no-decision after allowing one run in two frames of action. Â
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Ali Camarillo was a bright spot offensively for the Aggies (44-12) as the junior went 2-for-3 at the dish with a double. Braden Montgomery, Hayden Schott and Ted Burton registered the only other hits on the night for the Maroon & White. Â
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After the Bulldogs (38-19) plated the first run of the night on a wild pitch in the second, they added to their lead, 3-0, in the third with a two-run homer to left.
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The Aggies got a run back in the third as Camarillo, who reached on a double, crossed the plate on a Jace LaViolette RBI fielder's choice.
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In the sixth, the Maroon & White evened the score at 3-3 behind an RBI sacrifice fly from Jackson Appel and an RBI double from Schott. Â Â
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With the bases loaded in the ninth, Mississippi State broke the tie with a two-out two-run single up the middle. In the bottom half, Texas A&M went down in order as they fell 5-3.
Inside the Box Score
- The Aggies scattered five hits and drew only three walks on the evening.
- Five different pitchers made an appearance for Texas A&M.
- As a staff, the Maroon & White totaled 12 strikeouts.
- Cortez struck out a game-high five batters. Â
- Zane Badmaev worked two scoreless frames in relief.
- Kaiden Wilson allowed two runs and struck out four batters in two innings of work. Â
- Wednesday's contest marked the 49th meeting all-time between the two clubs.
- Despite the loss, the Aggies still lead the all-time series 26-23.
- In the SEC Tournament, the Maroon & White are now 18-13.
- In their opening game of the SEC Tournament, the Aggies are now 6-4.
- LaViolette has now reached base safely in 14 straight games.
- Camarillo's multi-hit performance marked his 18th of the season.
The Aggies will face No. 1 seed Tennessee in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon at approximately 1 p.m. from the Hoover Met.Â
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Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram and X by following @aggiebaseball.