Texas A&M needed a dose of Olsen magic on Friday night, and the Aggies got it just in time. In a pure pitching matchup that kicked off the weekend series, freshman Boston Kellner’s ninth-inning single lifted No. 24 A&M to a 1-0 victory over Penn, bursting the bubble and preserving its undefeated start.
Right-hander Shane Shao had his best performance of his young season, allowing seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven. Ethan Darden and Josh Stewart handled the final two innings, combining to strike out and allow just one hit, locking the game at 0-0.
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Offensively, the Aggies spent most of the game finding a rhythm. They allowed six hits and four walks in eight innings, but stranded nine runners as Penn’s staff executed consistently and prevented any sustained momentum.
The breakthrough finally came in the bottom of the ninth inning. After Bear Harrison drew a leadoff walk, Travis Chestnut executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the winning run into scoring position. That brings us to Kellner, the nine-hole hitter who was also one of the early highlights among A&M’s freshmen. He jumped on the first pitch he saw and hit it over the center fielder’s head, bringing home the runner and winning the game.
This marked the second straight game in which a true freshman played a decisive role — an encouraging sign for a team that relies heavily on its young core.
While the offense didn’t turn out the way coach Michael Earley had hoped, the pitching staff did meet his needs. Game 2 provided an opportunity for the Aggie bats to reset and get back to their usual offensive ways after facing some of their toughest pitching so far this season.
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notes:
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Pitching:
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Shane Sdao won the championship
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Texas A&M will take on Penn State in Game 2 of the series on Saturday, February 21st at 2:00 pm CT. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Freshman Boston Kellner leaves Texas A&M in 1-0 win over Penn State