Texas A&M
Iowa
Iowa (cont.)
Texas A&M Baseball
Texas A&M takes high-pressure contest from Iowa Hawkeyes, 3-2
Houston Regional Game #2: Texas A&M 3, Iowa 2
Records: Texas A&M (2-0), Iowa (1-1)
WP: Corbin Martin (7-3)
LP: Nick Gallagher (8-2)
S: Kaylor Chafin (2)
BOX SCORE
HOUSTON — Tension was as high as Houston humidity as relief pitcher Kaylor Chafin delivered a full-count fastball.
Texas A&M was clinging to a precarious one-run lead. Iowa had runners at third and second. Chris Whelan, a .322 hitter with seven homers, was at the plate. Mason McCoy, a .327 hitter, was on deck.
“One-through-nine … you don’t come up for air against Iowa’s lineup,” A&M coach Rob Childress said.
No doubt, breaths were held. One swing could decide the outcome.
It did.
Chafin’s inside pitch forced Whelan to pop-up and the Aggies (38-21) held on for a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Iowa (39-20) on Saturday night before 3,389 at Schroeder Field in the winner’s bracket of the NCAA baseball tournament Houston regional.
The Aggies moved within one win of advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals. On Sunday night they will face the winner of a Sunday afternoon elimination game between Houston and Iowa.
Capturing that big victory was just a matter of one-two-three — as in one big Cole Bedford home run after two failed bunt attempts and clutch performances from three pitchers — Corbin Martin, Cason Sherrod and Chafin.
The Aggies only scored in the fourth inning off Iowa starter Nick Gallagher (8-2). In fact, after the fourth A&M never got a runner to second base.
But in the fourth, Hunter Coleman and Blake Kopetsky delivered consecutive one-out singles and Bedford followed with the intention of moving them up.
TexAgs
Aggie catcher Cole Bedford went 2-3 on Saturday night, driving in all 3 A&M runs on a home run in the 4th inning.
He did, but not in the way that was originally planned.
Twice, Bedford failed to execute safety squeeze bunts. That was a blessing in disguise.
The next pitch after fouling off a bunt attempt, Bedford cranked a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence to give the Aggies a 3-1 lead.
“I wanted to do something to get that run after after those two strikes,” Bedford said. “Honestly, I was just trying to get a sacrifice fly. I was just making sure to get that run in after missing the bunt.”
That’s all the offense the Aggies would need as Martin (7-3), Sherrod and Chafin routinely made clutch pitches to get huge outs when needed most.
Iowa entered the game ranked 25th in the nation with 69 home runs.
However, Martin allowed just one — a solo shot by third baseman Jake Adams — his 28th of the season — in the fifth inning.
Prior to that, Martin kept finding ways to get out of jams.
Iowa had two on and one out in the first, but cleanup hitter Robert Neustrom hit right back to Martin, who threw to shortstop Austin Homan to start an inning-ending double play.
Martin allowed a run in the second, but struck out Whelen with runners on the corners to quell that threat.
He also got Iowa second baseman Mitchell Poe to ground out with runners on third and second to end the fourth.
“We had opportunities in the first four innings off Martin and just couldn’t get the hit,” Iowa coach Rick Heller said.
“It was just one of those games you felt like you were going to get “that” hit, but it just didn’t happen.”
TexAgs
Corbin Martin went seven plus innings, allowing only two runs and striking out nine.
Martin retired Iowa in order in the sixth — the first time in 15 innings the Hawkeyes went three-up, three-down. He did it again in the seventh.
But he’d thrown 116 pitches. So, when Martin allowed a lead-off single to McCoy in the eighth, Childress called Sherrod out of the bullpen.
He responded by striking out the meat of Iowa’s order — Adams, Neustrom and catcher Tyler Cropley.
“Cason was so good in the eighth inning, that was a save in itself,” Childress said. “With Adams coming up and the 3-4-5 – for him to strike out the side, he expended a lot of emotion.”
Sherrod allowed a walk and an infield hit in the ninth. Then, with two out and down 2-0 in the count to Whelan, Childress called on Chafin.
“Went out in the ninth inning, and once we got back to the top (of the order) the splits said the left-handed pitcher was the one to go with,” Childress said. Once we went 2-0, we made that decision, and fortunately it worked out.”
Chafin’s first pitch to Whelan was a ball. The next two were strikes. The third was fouled off. The fourth popped high into the air. It floated right and dropped into first baseman Hunter Coleman's glove.
Simultaneously, the tension broke and the Aggies could once again breath easily.
Records: Texas A&M (2-0), Iowa (1-1)
WP: Corbin Martin (7-3)
LP: Nick Gallagher (8-2)
S: Kaylor Chafin (2)
BOX SCORE
HOUSTON — Tension was as high as Houston humidity as relief pitcher Kaylor Chafin delivered a full-count fastball.
Texas A&M was clinging to a precarious one-run lead. Iowa had runners at third and second. Chris Whelan, a .322 hitter with seven homers, was at the plate. Mason McCoy, a .327 hitter, was on deck.
“One-through-nine … you don’t come up for air against Iowa’s lineup,” A&M coach Rob Childress said.
No doubt, breaths were held. One swing could decide the outcome.
It did.
Chafin’s inside pitch forced Whelan to pop-up and the Aggies (38-21) held on for a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Iowa (39-20) on Saturday night before 3,389 at Schroeder Field in the winner’s bracket of the NCAA baseball tournament Houston regional.
The Aggies moved within one win of advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals. On Sunday night they will face the winner of a Sunday afternoon elimination game between Houston and Iowa.
Capturing that big victory was just a matter of one-two-three — as in one big Cole Bedford home run after two failed bunt attempts and clutch performances from three pitchers — Corbin Martin, Cason Sherrod and Chafin.
The Aggies only scored in the fourth inning off Iowa starter Nick Gallagher (8-2). In fact, after the fourth A&M never got a runner to second base.
But in the fourth, Hunter Coleman and Blake Kopetsky delivered consecutive one-out singles and Bedford followed with the intention of moving them up.
TexAgs
Aggie catcher Cole Bedford went 2-3 on Saturday night, driving in all 3 A&M runs on a home run in the 4th inning.
He did, but not in the way that was originally planned.
Twice, Bedford failed to execute safety squeeze bunts. That was a blessing in disguise.
The next pitch after fouling off a bunt attempt, Bedford cranked a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence to give the Aggies a 3-1 lead.
“I wanted to do something to get that run after after those two strikes,” Bedford said. “Honestly, I was just trying to get a sacrifice fly. I was just making sure to get that run in after missing the bunt.”
That’s all the offense the Aggies would need as Martin (7-3), Sherrod and Chafin routinely made clutch pitches to get huge outs when needed most.
Iowa entered the game ranked 25th in the nation with 69 home runs.
However, Martin allowed just one — a solo shot by third baseman Jake Adams — his 28th of the season — in the fifth inning.
Prior to that, Martin kept finding ways to get out of jams.
Iowa had two on and one out in the first, but cleanup hitter Robert Neustrom hit right back to Martin, who threw to shortstop Austin Homan to start an inning-ending double play.
Martin allowed a run in the second, but struck out Whelen with runners on the corners to quell that threat.
He also got Iowa second baseman Mitchell Poe to ground out with runners on third and second to end the fourth.
“We had opportunities in the first four innings off Martin and just couldn’t get the hit,” Iowa coach Rick Heller said.
“It was just one of those games you felt like you were going to get “that” hit, but it just didn’t happen.”
TexAgs
Corbin Martin went seven plus innings, allowing only two runs and striking out nine.
Martin retired Iowa in order in the sixth — the first time in 15 innings the Hawkeyes went three-up, three-down. He did it again in the seventh.
But he’d thrown 116 pitches. So, when Martin allowed a lead-off single to McCoy in the eighth, Childress called Sherrod out of the bullpen.
He responded by striking out the meat of Iowa’s order — Adams, Neustrom and catcher Tyler Cropley.
“Cason was so good in the eighth inning, that was a save in itself,” Childress said. “With Adams coming up and the 3-4-5 – for him to strike out the side, he expended a lot of emotion.”
Sherrod allowed a walk and an infield hit in the ninth. Then, with two out and down 2-0 in the count to Whelan, Childress called on Chafin.
“Went out in the ninth inning, and once we got back to the top (of the order) the splits said the left-handed pitcher was the one to go with,” Childress said. Once we went 2-0, we made that decision, and fortunately it worked out.”
Chafin’s first pitch to Whelan was a ball. The next two were strikes. The third was fouled off. The fourth popped high into the air. It floated right and dropped into first baseman Hunter Coleman's glove.
Simultaneously, the tension broke and the Aggies could once again breath easily.
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