HOOVER, Ala. –The No. 4 seed Texas A&M baseball team saw its run at the SEC Tournament come to an end Thursday afternoon, falling to No. 1 seed Tennessee 7-4 at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala.
Gavin Grahovac (2-for-5), Jace LaViolette (2-for-5), Jackson Appel (2-for-4) and Ted Burton (2-for-3) were the bright spots offensively for the Aggies (44-13) as the trio each registered multi-hit performances. Both of Grahovac’s hits left the yard on the afternoon, upping his season total to 21, which matches LaViolette for the Texas A&M single-season freshman record.
On the mound, Brock Peery was handed the loss after allowing one run in 1.1 innings of work. Starter Ryan Prager earned a no-decision after allowing one run in 2.1 frames.
Grahovac, the 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year, put the Aggies on top in the third with an opposite field homer to right. The long ball marked the 20th of the year for the rookie and traveled 377 feet.
The Volunteers (47-11) responded with a run in the third, fourth and fifth to take a 3-1 advantage.
In the sixth, Appel pulled the Maroon & White to within one, 3-2, with a solo blast to right. The senior’s 10th homer of the season traveled 385 feet and left the bat at 102 mph.
Tennessee broke the game open in the seventh with a three-run homer that stretched its advantage to 6-2.
Ted Burton got a run back in the eighth for the Aggies as the senior ripped an RBI double down the line in left to score LaViolette, who reached on a single.
The Volunteers quickly responded in the bottom half with a solo homer to stretch their lead back to four, 7-3.
In the ninth, Grahovac accounted for the final run of the day as the freshman belted his second solo shot of the afternoon over the wall in left. The rookie’s 21st homer of the year traveled 426 feet.
Inside the Box Score
- The Aggies logged nine hits and drew three walks on the day.
- Four batters recorded multi-hit performances for the Maroon & White.
- Hayden Schott drew a game-high tying two walks.
- Appel, Burton and Caden Sorrell all stole a base in the contest.
- As a staff, Texas A&M struck out seven batters.
- Tanner Jones, Josh Stewart and Weston Moss also made appearances in relief.
Game Notes
- Thursday’s contest marked the 21st meeting all-time between the two clubs.
- Despite the loss, the Aggies lead the all-time series 11-10.
- LaViolette has now reached base safely in 15 straight games.
- The sophomore’s multi-hit game also marked his 21st of the season.
- Grahovac’s multi-hit performance was his 21st of the season.
- The freshman’s multi-homer performance was the second of his career.
- Appel has now logged 20 multi-hit performances this year.
- Burton’s multi-hit game was his 14th of the season.
Up Next
The Aggies will turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament, where they are projected to be a Top 8 national seed.
First-round regional pairings and site assignments will be announced on Monday at 11:00 a.m. during an hour-long live selection program on ESPN2.
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