Aggies Fall To No. 8 Cardinal In Stanford Regional Final
At least there was an idea for a brief moment. Texas A&M baseball won the battle against in-state rival Texas a season ago at College World Series in Omaha. With elimination on the line, the Aggies plated four runs in the second inning and never looked back en route to a 10-2 victory.
The Aggies wouldn’t be able to eliminate the Longhorns at TD Ameritrade Park this season, but ending the CWS hopes in the super regionals would have been a fine consolation prize. Of course, all that was based on A&M defeating No. 8-seed Stanford in the regional final. Now, it’s nothing more than just a dream.
The Cardinal defeated A&M 7-1 in the Stanford Regional to move on to the next round of the postseason. Standford will host the Longhorns at Sunken Stadium to advance to Omaha in a best-of-three series starting Friday.
"We gave it all on every single pitch," second baseman Austin Bost said. "They came out on top. That's how baseball works."
Stanford (42-17) fought back after losing 12-7 to A&M Saturday night, winning three straight, including two against the Aggies in elimination matchups. Pitching prevailed in both times for the Cardinal, while the Aggies struggled to recapture the magic of Hoover, Ala. at Klein Field.
A&M trusted right-hander Nathan Dettmer to lessen pressure off the bullpen after three insufficient starts from the days prior. Dettmer, the Aggies' primary Friday night starter, answered the call, allowing four runs over six frames while striking out eight.
"I really wanted to get out there for my guys and show what I can do," Dettmer said. "Really what fueled me, especially in this big of a game, was looking to my left and to my right before each pitch and just seeing guys like Trevor Werner and Austin Bost, guys that have just sacrificed so much."
Two pitches ultimately decided the game. Dettmer hurled a fastball to Cardinal designated hitter Braden Montgomery in the second, who launched a no-doubt solo shot to left to tie the game at 1-1. Catcher Malcolm Moore smacked a fastball to the right for a two-run homer to extend the lead by three.
Jace LaViolette put A&M ahead in the second inning with a solo homer to right field. That was the end of the Aggies' scoring. The Aggies went 7-of-23 at the plate (.125) and 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. No one recorded more than one hit while the team finished with 10 strikeouts.
"We couldn't get the big hit, and then they either got the big hit, or, you know, had some things go their way, which that happens in baseball," A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "They earned it. They're a good team."
Troubles continued once Dettmer was pulled in the seventh. Stanford scored an insurance run thanks to an RBI groundout from Tommy Troy. The Cardinal plated two more in the eighth to extend their lead by six.
Left-hander Quinn Mathews might have been the biggest x-factor for Stanford during the middle innings. Working on three days rest, Mathews entered the game in the fifth and pitched four scoreless frames, allowing just five hits while striking out five thanks to a fastball-changeup combo.
"What Mathews did in the middle of the game, you have to tip your cap to him," Schlossnagle said. "He gave up some hits, but he made pitches when he had to make them."
In a sense, A&M's plight to the postseason was a battle itself. The Aggies faced elimination entering the final week of action against Mississippi State. Two wins against the Bulldogs gave A&M the No. 10 seed in the conference tournament.
Rattling off four wins against ranked opponents to secure a spot in the conference title game. Starting pitching, a weak point throughout the regular season, proved to be a strength. And while timely hits were scarce at both The Met and Sunken Stadium, it was enough to force a winner-take-all showdown against the Pac-12 regular season champs.
"We didn't end up where we wanted to end up, but I'd be shocked to find a real Aggie that isn't proud of these kids," said Schlossnagle.
A&M has a foundation to build for a promising future. LaViolette and catcher Max Kaufer impressed as freshmen at the plate and behind the backstop. Infielders Hunter Haas and Jack Moss could return for their senior seasons in their draft stock tumble. If Troy Wansing and Justin Lampkin build off their success in Hoover, A&M could feature the top pitching staff in the SEC.
Uncertainty surrounds A&M baseball heading into the summer. Then again, there were questions when Schlossnagle joined the program after an 18-year run at TCU. Players bought into his methods and made two postseason runs, one of which ended with a trip to the College World Series.
That could be a positive in itself.
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