Army Rally Falls Short in 6-5 Loss to #20 Texas A&M

Saturday, February 22

College Station, Texas

2 p.m.

Army West Point

1-4

Texas A&M

7-0

Army West Point

Texas A&M

Army Rally Falls Short in 6-5 Loss to #20 Texas A&M

February 22, 2020 | Baseball

Box Score

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Despite a late inning push, the Army West Point baseball team was defeated by #20 Texas A&M at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park on Saturday.

The Black Knights gave the Aggies a fight in this one, chipping away at the A&M lead before ultimately falling short in a 6-5 contest.

Army scored first for the second game in a row, jumping out to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning. After the Aggies scored a run in the bottom half, starting pitcher Logan Smith held the opponent at bay with four straight scoreless innings.

In the fifth, Texas A&M stormed ahead with five runs to take a lead that would ultimately win the game. The Black Knights cut that lead to 6-5 in the eighth, but ultimately could not manage to get the equalizer after a promising start to the ninth.

John McKenna continued his strong series, driving in three of Army's five runs on the afternoon. The senior has five RBIs in the series' two games. Andre Walden went 2-4 and scored three runs.

The Army bullpen was strong in this one, with Anthony LoRicco and Will Hart holding TAMU scoreless in 3.0 innings pitched. Hart has now delivered four consecutive scoreless outings to start his Army career.

The teams will conclude their three-game series on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.

HIGHLIGHTS AND NOTES:

The Black Knights got on the board first in the contest. After a leadoff double by Carter Macias, Andre Walden laid a bunt down the first base line. The throw sailed over the head of the first baseman and into right field to score Macias for the opening run.
After a single by Anthony Giachin moved Walden to third, John McKenna brought home the second run with a sac fly.
Texas A&M got one run back in the bottom of the inning on a Will Frizzel RBI single to right.
Logan Smith coasted through the next three innings, facing the minimum nine batters.
The Aggies jumped ahead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs, four of which were unearned.
McKenna added his second RBI of the afternoon with a sac fly in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Anthony LoRicco kept Army in the game with his work out of the bullpen, holding the Aggies scoreless for 2.1 innings.
Army fought closer in the eighth. After Andre Walden singled and Giachin walked, McKenna drove in his third run of the game with an RBI single up the middle. Later in the inning, Giachin came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 6-5.
Will Hart continued his strong work out of the pen in the eighth, recording two big outs in the bottom of the eighth to leave the bases loaded.
In the ninth, the Black Knights got the first two runners on, setting up a two-on, no-out situation. Carter Macias nearly beat out a bunt for a hit, but moved the runners over. Two batters later, Giachin flew out on a long fly ball to the deepest part of the ballpark to end the game.