Texas A&M
Minnesota
Texas A&M Baseball
Texas A&M advances to Super Regional with 8-2 win vs. Minnesota
Regional Game #3: Texas A&M 8, Minnesota 2
RECORDS: Texas A&M 48-14; Minnesota 36-22
WP: Turner Larkins (3-0)
LP: Matt Fiedler (7-4)
S: Ecker (8)
BOX SCORE
There's something to be said for taking the easy road sometimes. Though it is much-maligned, the easy road is sometimes just the one that makes sense. No one wants to make more work for themselves than they need to accomplish a task.
Texas A&M took the easy road through the College Station Regional.
Climbing through the winner's bracket with wins over Binghamton and Wake Forest, the Aggies claimed the regional crown on Sunday by beating Minnesota, 8-2, to advance to the Super Regional round for the second straight year.
In short, the Aggies didn't beat themselves.
With clean defense, stellar pitching and timely hitting, Texas A&M put steady pressure on the Golden Gophers all night long, and it paid off.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Jonathan Moroney was named the College Station Regional's Most Oustanding Player.
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Texas A&M drew first blood. After both Michael Barash and Jonathan Moroney walked with one out in the second, Joel Davis sent a triple down the left field line. The hit scored both runners and gave the Aggies an early lead, 2-0.
Two innings later, Barash hit a lead-off double to begin another rally.
Moroney and Davis walked to load the bases, and the Aggies got sacrifice hits from Hunter Melton and Austin Homan to double their lead, 4-0.
While the Ags were making plays at the plate, they were even better on the mound and in the field.
Turner Larkins got the start for the Aggies and gave head coach Rob Childress one of his best outings of the year. Throwing 5.2 innings, the sophomore allowed five hits and just one run and struck out three without walking a man.
"He was really good last week when we needed him the most against Florida," Childress said of his increasingly reliable pitcher. "Certainly, going with him today, he made us all look really, really good. He was fantastic in a big environment and couldn't have done a better job for us."
Larkins began to tire in the sixth and allowed his only run of the day on an RBI-double by Gopher catcher Austin Athmann. Andrew Vinson took the ball shortly thereafter and let his defense get the Aggies out of the inning.
With runners on the corners, Minnesota centerfielder Jordan Smith hit a screaming line drive to the right side of the infield. Utilizing every inch of his 5-10 frame, second baseman Ryne Birk made a leaping grab to end the inning and preserve the 4-1 lead.
Texas A&M got the run back in the seventh, working Melton around the bases after he got hit by a pitch and regaining the four-run advantage.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Ecker struck out all four hitters he faced on Sunday.
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Vinson worked through the seventh and into the eighth before allowing Athmann to drive in his second run of the day. With two innings, one run and two strikeouts on his record, the senior gave way to closer Mark Ecker.
Ecker was about as good as a pitcher can be.
Throwing 1.1 innings, Ecker struck out every batter he faced, finishing the eighth with a strikeout and fanning the side in the ninth after the Aggie offense plated three insurance runs in the top half of the inning.
After the last out, the Aggie baseball team ran out onto the field for a well-deserved celebration, but it wasn't a wild party on Olsen Field; it was an acknowledgement that the first step in the journey was complete.
The Aggies know that there's more to look forward to in the coming weekend.
"We expected to come out here and win this regional," said Barash. "It's just a stepping stone to what we ultimately want to do. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win a national championship. Tonight was the first step, and we're one step closer. We're ready to go and ready for next weekend."
Texas A&M took the easiest possible path through the regional round, going 3-0 and taking care of business each day. The road only gets harder from here, but you can bet on one thing: someone's going to have to beat the Aggies.
They aren't going to do it themselves.
RECORDS: Texas A&M 48-14; Minnesota 36-22
WP: Turner Larkins (3-0)
LP: Matt Fiedler (7-4)
S: Ecker (8)
BOX SCORE
There's something to be said for taking the easy road sometimes. Though it is much-maligned, the easy road is sometimes just the one that makes sense. No one wants to make more work for themselves than they need to accomplish a task.
Texas A&M took the easy road through the College Station Regional.
Climbing through the winner's bracket with wins over Binghamton and Wake Forest, the Aggies claimed the regional crown on Sunday by beating Minnesota, 8-2, to advance to the Super Regional round for the second straight year.
In short, the Aggies didn't beat themselves.
With clean defense, stellar pitching and timely hitting, Texas A&M put steady pressure on the Golden Gophers all night long, and it paid off.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Jonathan Moroney was named the College Station Regional's Most Oustanding Player.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Jonathan Moroney was named the College Station Regional\u0027s Most Oustanding Player.","MediaItemID":70203}
Two innings later, Barash hit a lead-off double to begin another rally.
Moroney and Davis walked to load the bases, and the Aggies got sacrifice hits from Hunter Melton and Austin Homan to double their lead, 4-0.
While the Ags were making plays at the plate, they were even better on the mound and in the field.
Turner Larkins got the start for the Aggies and gave head coach Rob Childress one of his best outings of the year. Throwing 5.2 innings, the sophomore allowed five hits and just one run and struck out three without walking a man.
"He was really good last week when we needed him the most against Florida," Childress said of his increasingly reliable pitcher. "Certainly, going with him today, he made us all look really, really good. He was fantastic in a big environment and couldn't have done a better job for us."
Larkins began to tire in the sixth and allowed his only run of the day on an RBI-double by Gopher catcher Austin Athmann. Andrew Vinson took the ball shortly thereafter and let his defense get the Aggies out of the inning.
With runners on the corners, Minnesota centerfielder Jordan Smith hit a screaming line drive to the right side of the infield. Utilizing every inch of his 5-10 frame, second baseman Ryne Birk made a leaping grab to end the inning and preserve the 4-1 lead.
Texas A&M got the run back in the seventh, working Melton around the bases after he got hit by a pitch and regaining the four-run advantage.
Abigail Cook, TexAgs
Ecker struck out all four hitters he faced on Sunday.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Ecker struck out all four hitters he faced on Sunday.","MediaItemID":70401}
Ecker was about as good as a pitcher can be.
Throwing 1.1 innings, Ecker struck out every batter he faced, finishing the eighth with a strikeout and fanning the side in the ninth after the Aggie offense plated three insurance runs in the top half of the inning.
After the last out, the Aggie baseball team ran out onto the field for a well-deserved celebration, but it wasn't a wild party on Olsen Field; it was an acknowledgement that the first step in the journey was complete.
The Aggies know that there's more to look forward to in the coming weekend.
"We expected to come out here and win this regional," said Barash. "It's just a stepping stone to what we ultimately want to do. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to win a national championship. Tonight was the first step, and we're one step closer. We're ready to go and ready for next weekend."
Texas A&M took the easiest possible path through the regional round, going 3-0 and taking care of business each day. The road only gets harder from here, but you can bet on one thing: someone's going to have to beat the Aggies.
They aren't going to do it themselves.
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