College Station Regional Final Preview: Can the Aggies Advance?
Take a breath, stay the course, and remain consistent. Those are things Texas A&M catcher Troy Claunch has told the younger crop of Aggies to do this week in the College Station Regional.
It worked in Game 1 with an 8-2 victory over Oral Roberts. Can it happen in Game 2 against Louisiana? If so, the No. 5 Aggies will have even more breathing room and they'll prepare for the finals.
One less game to worry about. Good, that's what Jim Schlossnagle and the Aggies were hoping for from the get-go.
The Ragin Cajuns (37-21) are guaranteed at least two more games following the 7-6 win over TCU Friday evening. In what was expected to be a highly-anticipated second-round match between Schlossnagle and his former school, the Horned Frogs were cooked late by Louisiana's pitching.
Louisiana's Will Veillon and Trey LaFleur hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning to put the Cajuns up 3-0. TCU (36-21) responded in the third with a two-run blast by Tommy Sacco and took the lead on a two-run RBI single by Kurtis Byrne in the fifth.
A Julian Brock RBI triple gave Louisiana the lead in the top of the sixth and found more insurance after an error by TCU third baseman Brayden Taylor. The Horned Frogs tried to play catch up with another solo homer from Porter Brown in the seventh and an RBI double in the eighth from David Bishop.
Former Blinn College pitcher Dylan Theut worked his voodoo for the Cajuns in the ninth, forcing a groundout with a runner on second to secure the victory.
Unlike Louisiana, the Aggies (38-21) should prevail in terms of pitching relief. Only junior Joseph Menefee should be made unavailable for Saturday's action following his game-clinching three innings against Oral Roberts.
Replacing Micah Dallas at the top of the sixth, Menefee picked up where he left off against Florida. He struck out seven Golden Eagles while allowing just one run and two hits.
"His stuff was good today," Oral Roberts coach Ryan Folmer said of Menefee. "The fastball was crisp, it was clean. He was the difference in the game. He came in and solidified the outcome."
Schlossnagle said that barring a last-second switch, sophomore Nathan Dettmer would get the call to Saturday in front of the home crowd. In his last outing against Alabama, Dettmer lasted 1 1/3 inning while allowing three runs off four hits.
Offensively, A&M will rely on its middle lineup hitters to carry the weight. First baseman Jack Moss went 2-for-3 Friday with a two-run RBI double in the eighth. Left fielder Dylan Rock has been the Aggies' ace with runners in scoring position, currently owning the team lead with 54 RBIs.
Designated hitter Austin Bost continues his hot streak following his two-hit outing against Oral Roberts. In the seventh inning, Bost drilled a three-run dinger that was the difference in the game, pushing the Aggies' initial lead from two to five runs.
"They brought in the righty, and he threw some good pitches away but when he put one inside, I was able to put my hands inside and get a good swing on it," Bost said. "Good things happen when you put good swings on it."
The winner of Saturday's match will immediately advance to the College Station Regional final Sunday evening. The loser will have a chance for a rematch when facing the winner of TCU-Oral Roberts. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT.
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