Aggies Advance To Stanford Regional Final In 8-5 Win Over No. 8 Cardinal
Hunter Haas has a thing for playing hero ball. He also has a thing for the No. 3.
Last week, Haas' three-run home run over LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals sent the Tigers packing after early odds projected them to win the shindig in Hoover. On Saturday, Haas and the No. 3 came up big flate Texas A&M baseball in an 8-5 victory over No. 8 Stanford.
While far from the only contributor, Haas' bases-clearing three-run double in the eighth inning broke a 4-4 tie to give the Aggies the lead. Haas also smacked a two-run double in the sixth to finish with five runs and be the driving force in a win over the host city at Sunken Diamond.
"What a ballgame," A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "I thought that was as entertaining of a game for a fan as you'd ever want."
The Aggies are now 2-0 for the first time in an NCAA Regional outside the state of Texas and will await the winner of Stanford-Cal State Fullerton for a chance to advance to the super regionals next week. With the win, Schlossnalge improved to 5-0 in regional/super regional games since being hired following the 2020 season.
Haas wasn't a part of the Aggies' epic run to the College World Series a season ago, but he might be the x-factor in helping A&M (38-25) return to Omaha this summer. In large part, his experience at Sunken Diamond has made him an instant weapon for A&M's offense. Prior to his arrival in College Station, the 6-1 shortstop made multiple trips to Palo Alto as a member of the Arizona State roster.
Since the start of the Stanford Regional, Haas is 4-for-6 at the plate with seven RBIs and two runs scored. He's currently riding a seven-game hitting streak, positing a .370 batting average with 11 RBIs and three extra-base hits.
"It's pretty cool, I guess, obviously getting a big win in a regional," Haas said of his five-RBI outing. "I'm just looking forward to tomorrow."
Stanford (39-17) starter Joey Dixon held A&M's offense in check, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks to go with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. With two outs in the sixth, Dixon issued a pair of walks to Brett Minnich and Max Kaufer, with the latter lasting seven pitches.
Cardinal head coach David Esquer knew it was time to go to the bullpen for Drew Dowd to send Stanford back to the dugout with a three-run lead. Instead, Haas needed four pitches to tie the game.
Two innings later, with Dowd still on the mound, Haas sent him packing with the bases-clearing double.
"We're just trying to compete every pitch, no matter who it is, so I think we took the same approach to both guys," Haas said. "We were just able to be more successful, getting those big hits, against the lefty."
A&M had to fight off an early deficit from inept pitching for the second night. Starter Justin Lampkin couldn't recapture his 94 MPH impeccable framing from Hoover, lasting just 1.2 innings. The left-hander recorded the first two outs with ease before issuing a walk to first baseman Carter Graham. Braden Montgomery would give the Cardinal a 2-0 lead with a blast over the center-field wall.
A&M used five relievers the soothe its pitching and keep the Cardinal's offense at bay. Evan Aschenbeckgave up a run to extend Stanford's lead by four, but struck out three in only 2.2 innings of work. Brandyn Garcia entered the game with the bases loaded in the fifth and worked his way out of the jam on a double-play lineout directed at Haas.
Garcia, another first-year member of the Aggies, lasted 2.2 innings and didn't allow a hit. He issued three walks and struck out two Cardinal bats.
Trouble ensued in the ninth as the Cardinals kept Aggies on their toes with two outs. Matt Dillard worked his way through the first two batters before a 12-pitch walk to Alberto Rios kept the inning alive. A single by Drew Bowser scored Rios, while two hit by pitches loaded the bases.
Schlossnalge turned to left-hander Troy Wansing for the final out, a pop-up by Owen Cobb to right field. Wansing also came in against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament semifinals to send A&M to the conference title game.
“We were hoping to get through the game without having to use Wansing, but obviously we needed it, and he made a couple of nice pitches there,” Schlossnagle said.
A&M now waits to see who it will face in the regional final. As for starting pitching, Schlossnagle said the winner of the elimination game would dictate the starter. Wansing, who threw a one-hitter in his last start against Tennessee, could get the nod after only tossing eight pitches in relief. Right-handers Nathan Dettmer and Chris Cortez also could be options.
Last season, A&M got it done in three games to advance to the super regionals. A win Sunday night would mark three straight victories and notch another trip to Round 2 of the postseason.
"I'm super confident in our team," Schlossnagle said. "I love them. I believe in them. I've told them that all season long."
Something about the No. 3 and these Aggies.
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