COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Nick Banks delivered a go-ahead single in the top of the 12th inning and Jason Freeman got out a precarious situation in the bottom of the frame to give the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies a 4-3 win over the California Golden Bears, setting up a winner-takes-all championship game of the College Station Regional on Monday night.
With two outs and the score tied at 3-3 in the top of the 12th, Mitchell Nau laced a single through the left side of the infield. Logan Taylor followed by sending a grounder to Preston Grand Pre, who had played impeccable defense at shortstop in the regional up until that point. Grand Pre’s throw to first was high causing first baseman Chris Paul to come off the bag and Taylor reached on the error. Banks, who was intentionally walked in his previous two plate appearances, made the Golden Bears pay for the error driving a single to centerfield. Nau hustled home to touch the plate before Taylor was retired at third for the third out of the frame.
Freeman who retired three of the four batters he faced in the 11th, including two strikeouts, returned to work the bottom of the 12th. Aaron Knapp worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Devin Pearson. Freeman induced a fly out to rightfield by Lucas Erceg to set up the bizarre last play of the game. Paul hit a ball that caromed off the glove of a diving Hunter Melton at first base. Melton scrambled to get the ball and did not have a play at first base. Knapp decided to take advantage of the situation and rounded third at home. Melton threw the ball to Nau at the plate with Knapp still 45 feet from home. Nau started the rundown and threw the ball to third baseman Ronnie Gideon standing 10 up the line off of third. With no one covering home and Nau 30 feet up the line it became a mad dash to the plate with Gideon making a diving lung to tag Knapp just before he was able to go into his head-first slide for home.
Trailing 3-2, Gideon was also a part of offensive heroics in the top of the ninth that sent the game to extra frames. With one out, Logan Nottebrok drove a single to centerfield and was replaced at first base by pinch-runner Nick Choruby. Gideon was called on to pinch-hit for Michael Barash and he responded by drilling a first-pitch offering down the leftfield line and the mercurial Choruby scampered home for the tying run.
California (36-20) struck first with a run in the bottom of the first. Knapp started the inning by bunting the first pitch he saw for a single. Pearson followed with a single to rightfield to put runners on the corners and Erceg plated Knapp with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Texas A&M (48-12) responded with an equalizer in the fourth when Ryne Birk launched a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right-center for his 10th home run of the season.
The Aggies claimed their first lead of the game in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Jonathan Moroney slapped a ball past a diving second baseman and into the right-center gap for a double. Logan Nottebrok worked a five-pitch walk and Michael Barash knocked a single through the left side of the infield, sending Moroney home with for the 2-1 advantage.
The momentum would not stay in the A&M dugout for long as Mitchell Kranson launched a leadoff home run over the right-center fence in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 2-2.
The Golden Bears wrestled the lead back in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Aggie leftfielder Taylor lost a fly ball by Paul in the lights and Paul circled around to third for a triple. Kranson punched a ball to leftfield, knocking in Paul with the sacrifice fly, giving California a 3-2 advantage.
Nau paced the Aggies with three hits. Birk and Nottebrok had two apiece.
Knapp, Paul and Kranson each registered three hits with Kranson accounting for two RBI.
In his first start since last year’s Houston Regional, Tyler Stubblefield worked 5.0 innings, yielding one run on four hits and one walk while striking out four. Mark Ecker was also stellar in relief, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three in 3.1 innings. Freeman (4-0) earned the win with 2.0 shutout innings. He scattered one hit and two walks while striking out two.
Erceg (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Golden Bears. He allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits and one walk while striking out one in 4.0 innings. Matt Ladrech was solid in his start, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out one in 5.0 innings.
Monday’s game is slated for 6:35 pm with the television access to be announced. It can be seen on mobile devices and connected-TVs via the WatchESPN app.