Menefee Magic: Texas A&M Reliever Sets Tone In Win Over Oral Roberts
COLLEGE STATION -- Texas A&M's Micah Dallas said Thursday that confidence wouldn't be a problem for him taking the mound to begin the College Station Regional. The one thing he wanted to continue to work on was his command.
Dallas struggled in terms of consistency. His control was mixed, especially with his fastball. It didn't matter thanks to strong defensive play from third baseman Trevor Werner and shortstop Kole Kaler. It ultimately played a pivotal role in the Aggies' 8-2 win over Oral Roberts to kickoff the NCAA Tournament.
"Micah wasn't as sharp as last week, and for as poorly as we played defense last week, that wasn't the case," Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "[Ryan] Targac helped us induce two double plays during Micah's innings and Werner made some really nice plays. He pitched out of trouble."
Baseball is a team sport, but a pitcher's control could set the tone and reduce the need for big bats. Reliever Joseph Menefee made it seem as if the Aggies (38-18) were playing pitch and catch between him and catcher Troy Claunch.
Last week in Hoover, Ala., Menefee mowed down the Gators in two innings of work with four strikeouts. A new day, a new stadium, but the same results. The junior was locked in through his three innings, punching out seven Golden Eagles.
"His stuff was good today," Oral Roberts coach Ryan Folmer said. "The fastball was crisp, it was clean. He was the difference in the game. He came in and solidified the outcome."
Dallas (6-3) worked his way out of trouble in the second thanks to an inning-ending ground ball to Werner on the corner. In the next frame, Targac saved a run with a quick double play up the middle.
Schlossnagle credited the defense for stepping up in crunch time against the Golden Eagles' offense. Oral Roberts (38-18) left nine runners on base, seven in scoring position.
Outfielder Jordan Thompson gave Dallas a one-run lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-run blast. Golden Eagles' left-hander Legend Smith didn't make that mistake again in his 4 1/3 innings of work. The southpaw allowed eight hits, but also struck out six in the process.
Once Folmer made the call to the bullpen, the A&M offense pounced. Designated hitter Austin Bost drilled a high fast ball over the left field wall for a three-run homer in the seventh inning to extend A&M's lead by five. First baseman Jack Moss would plate a pair in the eighth to add insurance.
"When they brought the fastball in, I was able to get my hands inside and put a good swing on it," Bost said of the homer. "Good things happen when you can put good swings together."
Schlossnagle wanted the early game to give his team a few more hours of rest regardless of the outcome. Moss, who finished with a team-high three hits, can remember last season playing at Arizona State and how rough the night game played on the Sun Devils' bodies thanks to an extra-innings win over Fairfield.
It factored into the Sun Devils' 10-3 loss to Texas the following night. That hopefully won't be the case for the Aggies with over 24 hours to recuperate from Friday's action.
"You don't get the same rest playing like you do in this game," Moss said. "We have to take advantage of this as a team and come back ready to go tomorrow."
A&M will face the winner of Louisiana-TCU on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. Barring a last-second change, Schlossnagle said that sophomore Nathan Dettmer would get the call for Game 2 regardless of the opponent.
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