COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A late surge by the Crimson Tide offense was not enough, as Alabama baseball came up short at No. 19 Texas A&M, 9-6, on Friday night at Blue Bell Park. The Aggies claimed the series win with the victory, while the Tide moved to 21-15 on the season and 5-9 in Southeastern Conference play.
Alabama entered the ninth trailing by six, but the Tide reached a pair before freshman Sam Praytor homered with two outs to make it a 9-6 contest. A single from junior Jett Manning followed, but a strikeout ended the game with the tying run in the on-deck circle.
The Aggies jumped out front early with five runs in the bottom of the second which would prove the difference by night’s end. The two teams matched runs with one apiece in the third, fifth and sixth innings, and A&M added one tally in the fourth. Alabama had its chances all night, advancing runners into scoring position in six of the nine innings, but could not overcome the early five-run deficit.
Six of the nine Tide starters recorded at least one hit, with four of the hitters tallying multi-hit games. Junior Chandler Taylor paced UA, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a team-high two runs scored. Also contributing multi-hit outings were juniors Joe Breaux and Manning along with the freshman Praytor. The Tide backstop doubled, scored one run and led Alabama in RBI with four on the night to go with the first home run of his career.
Texas A&M starter Mitchell Kilkenny (8-0) earned the win while Asa Lacy collected his first save of the season. Alabama starter Jake Walters (2-4) suffered the loss.
The series wraps up on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. CT first pitch at Blue Bell Park. Alabama will look to redshirt freshman Garret Rukes, a left-hander, in the start while A&M will counter with junior righty Stephen Kolek. The game can be seen live on SEC Network+.
