Break out the Bubbles: Ags beat Cal, 3-1, advance to Super Regional

GAME #61: Texas A&M 3, California 1
RECORDS: Texas A&M 49-12 (4-1), California 36-21 (2-2)
WP: Matt Kent (8-1)
LP: Alex Schick (3-2)
S: Kyle Simonds (2)

---

COLLEGE STATION — Winning in baseball is usually celebrated with ample amounts of champagne. In Aggieland, however, things are done a little differently.

Thanks to the playful personality of pitcher Corbin Martin, Texas A&M possesses a different means of celebration: bubbles.

And boy, did the Aggies have cause to celebrate on Monday.

Behind a phenomenal performance by pitcher Matt Kent, Texas A&M bested the California Golden Bears, 3-1, finishing off its run through the loser's bracket with a regional championship.

Though Kent had thrown over 90 pitches against Texas Southern on Friday, he answered the bell when called upon to start against the Bears. After giving up a leadoff single and throwing a wild pitch in the first inning, Kent settled in for the next six.

Scattering five hits across his seven frames, Kent allowed only one run and two walks to the Bears while striking out five. When Cal first baseman Chris Paul hit a solo home run off of him in the seventh, the junior responded with a double-play ball to end his outing and get out of a jam.

Simply put, Kent was incredible, earning regional Most Outstanding Player honors for his performance throughout the weekend. The left-hander is going to savor this victory before moving on to the next test.

"We've still got work to do leading into this week," he said. "We're excited, and we're going to celebrate this for the night and maybe little bit into tomorrow, and then we're going to get to work for the Super Regional."

While the man on the mound was red hot, the Aggie bats were ice cold for most of the game, scratching across only one run in the first six innings against a patchwork Cal pitching staff.

Things picked up in the seventh. After Kent's final pitch, Jonathan Moroney led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk. Another free pass to Logan Nottebrok put the right fielder in scoring position, and a sacrifice bunt by Michael Barash put him 90 feet away.

Overcoming a rough weekend at the plate, senior Blake Allemand put a charge into the ball, sending a high fly ball into center field, allowing Moroney to tag up and score the eventual game-winning run.

The Aggies scored another run in the eighth on a center field single from Hunter Melton, giving them a 3-1 lead and little breathing room before taking the field for the final time.

Though the extra run was nice, Kyle Simonds rendered it unnecessary in relief of Kent. Throwing the final two innings, last year's JUCO Pitcher of the Year was perfect in his short appearance and earned the save as he shut down the middle of the Cal order in the ninth.

Head Coach Rob Childress, leading A&M into Super Regional play for the first time since 2011, witnessed great individual performances all over the diamond over the course of the regional.

"I'm excited for this team," Childress said. "It's a very talented team, but it's as close a team and as fun a team as I've ever been a part of. They've earned it, and I'm certain their attitude is they're not done yet."

While the focus will soon turn to the upcoming Super Regional, the Aggies will enjoy this one for the time being.

As for their choice between the bubbles and the bubbly, it's probably safe to say they'll celebrate with both.