Texas A&M Baseball Falls One Game Short at MCWS Final

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News release from Texas A&M Athletics:

OMAHA – The No. 3 Texas A&M baseball team came up a run short in a late rally, falling 6-5 to the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in Monday’s College World Series Finals winner-take-all game at Charles Schwab Field.

The Aggies concluded their 2024 run with a 53-15 mark and advanced farther than any other team in program history, finishing as the national runner-up.

Tennessee (60-13) jumped out to the early advantage with Christian Moore leading off the home half of the first with a home run down the left field line off Aggie starting pitcher Justin Lamkin.

Travis Chestnut manufactured a run in the top of the third to pull the Maroon & White even at 1-1. With one out, Chestnut placed a perfect bunt in front of the plate on a 1-2 count for a single and moved to second on a throwing error on the play. After a swiping third base, Chestnut scored when Gavin Grahovac slapped a single to left.

The Volunteers responded with two runs in the next half inning to reclaim the lead, 3-1. Blake Burke gapped a double to right-center and moved to third on a grounder to shortstop by Billy Amick. After Dylan Dreiling plated Burke with a sacrifice fly, Hunter Ensley and Kavares Tears singled to put two aboard. Dean Curley knocked in Ensley with a single to left field before being retired in a short rundown.

Tennessee inflated its cushion to 6-1 with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Amick slapped a single to left-center and Dreiling followed with a two-run home run to right field. Ensley threaded a single through the left side and scored on a Tears double to center field.

Texas A&M (53-15) used some professional at-bats to start a two-run rally in the eighth. Jackson Appel slapped a single up the middle and moved to third on two wild pitches. Hayden Schott fouled off three two-strike pitches before driving a single over second base to knock in Appel. With one out, Caden Sorrell plated Schott with a double to the wall in left-center, cutting the deficit to 6-3.

The Aggies made one last charge in the ninth inning. Grahovac started the frame dropping a double down the left field line, moved to third on a wild pitch and later scored on a one out RBI single from Appel. After moving to second on defensive indifference, a balk put Appel on third. He scampered home on a wild pitch, trimming the Tennessee edge to 6-5, but the Maroon & White were unable to score the tying run.


Inside the Box Score

  • Appel batted 3-for-5 with two runs and one RBI for his seventh three-hit game of the season and his team-leading 26th multi-hit game.
  • Eight of the nine Aggie starters logged hits, including three with multi-hit performances.
  • Schott hit 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI for his eighth three-hit game of the season and his 25th multi-hit game.
  • Grahovac batted 2-for-5 with one double, one run and one RBI for 23rd multi-hit game.
  • Josh Stewart worked 2.1 innings without yielding a run, scattering two hits with one strikeout.

 

Game Notes

  • Under head coach Jim Schlossnagle, Texas A&M is now 18-6 in postseason play and 6-4 in College World Series games.
  • LaViolette has now reached base safely in 26 straight games, the longest stretch of his career.
  • With six strikeouts in the game, Aggie pitchers end the season with a program-best 715 for the season.
  • The Aggies’ all-time series vs. Tennessee is now even at 12-12.

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