OMAHA, Neb. – For a team that never reached the College World Series Finals in any of its previous 121 seasons, Texas A&M baseball did not look unprepared for the moment in game one. In fact, the Aggies played like a program that routinely advances to the best-of-three series.
From its clutch hitting to its knack for pitching out of jams, No. 3 A&M (53-13) delivered when it mattered the most in a 9-5 win over No. 1 Tennessee (58-13) on Saturday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
The Aggie offense seemed to thrive in high-pressure situations. All but one of their nine runs came on two-strike swings. They finished .474 (9 of 19) with runners on base, .333 (5 of 15) with runners in scoring position, .308 (4 of 13) with two outs and .325 (13 of 40) overall.
The Volunteers had plenty of opportunities but struggled to take advantage of them, hitting .154 (2 of 13) with runners in scoring position and .182 (2 of 11) with two outs. They stranded 10 runners on base and totaled 17 strikeouts.
“(We) held maybe the best lineup in the country to five runs with the wind blowing out (from the outfield) in such an awesome setting,” A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said following the game. ” … And then we had a lot of timely hits.”
