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No.1 Texas Sweeps texas A&M in Thrilling SEC Series Debut
Austin, Texas — In a highly anticipated series marking their inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference, the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns completed a three-game sweep of archrival Texas A&M Aggies with a nail-biting 6-5 victory Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
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Each game in the series was decided by a single run, underscoring the intense rivalry between the two programs. Texas secured a 2-1 victory Friday and a 3-2 win Saturday before sunday’s dramatic finale.
Sunday’s Decisive Game: How Texas Clinched the Sweep
- Game-Winning Hit: Adrian Rodriguez delivered the decisive blow with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, breaking a 5-5 tie. He finished the game 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
- Pitching Performance: Grayson Saunier (1-0) earned the win for Texas, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. Caden McCoy (3-2) took the loss for Texas A&M.
- Key Defensive Play: With runners on first and second and one out in the top of the ninth, Kaeden Kent grounded into a game-ending 3-4-3 double play, sealing the victory for the Longhorns.
Rylan Galvan contributed two hits and two RBIs for Texas, while Caden Sorrell led the Aggies with three hits and two RBIs, including his seventh home run of the season.
The Schlossnagle Factor: From Aggies to Longhorns
The series was further intensified by the controversial move of coach Jim Schlossnagle, who led Texas A&M to the College World Series championship last year before becoming the head coach at Texas. His transition has placed Texas atop the SEC standings in their debut season.
Game Highlights and Turning Points
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Texas | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | — | 6 |
- Eighth Inning Heroics:
Leading off the bottom of the eighth inning, adrian Rodriguez hit an opposite-field shot to left that carries and just cleared the wall, a solo home run that broke a 5-5 deadlock and gave the Longhorns a 6-5 lead heading into the top of the ninth inning.
- Seventh Inning tie:
After surrendering a three-run sixth inning to Texas, the Aggies got a solo home run from Caden Sorrell to left center that quickly left the ballpark to tie the game 5-5 in the top of the seventh inning.
- Sixth Inning Rally:
With the bases loaded and two outs, and with his team trailing 4-3, Ryan Galvan ripped a single up the middle to bring home two runs and put texas ahead of Texas A&M in the bottom of the sixth inning.
- Defensive Gem: In the fourth inning, Texas A&M right fielder Caden Sorrell made a breathtaking catch, robbing Texas’ Tommy Farmer IV of an extra-base hit.
sorrell helped keep the Longhorns scoreless in the inning.
- Aggies’ Early Lead: Texas A&M started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning.
A Caden Sorrell double to right center drove the first run home and, during the next at-bat, Bear Harrison singled to center to double Texas A&M’s lead to 2-0.
Rosters and Starting Lineups
Here are the starting lineups for both teams:
Texas A&M Aggies:
