Texas A&M falls to Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament title game, 10-4
Press conference videos courtest of the Southeastern Conference
Game #61: #4 Vanderbilt 10, #10 Texas A&M 4
Records: Texas A&M (36-25, 14-16), Vanderbilt (41-18, 19-11)
WP: Patrick Reilly (5-3)
LP: Chris Cortez (3-1)
Box Score
An improbable run ends just short.
Playing its sixth game in as many days, Texas A&M fell shy of an SEC Tournament title as No. 8 Vanderbilt prevailed, 10-4, on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
After an impressive week in Hoover, the Aggies just ran out of gas — and pitching — in the final frame.
"Super proud of our team, the way we played over the course of the last 11 days," A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "We've been on the road for 11 days and played nine games. Proud of the way we played during that stretch. Just super disappointed."
The six-run margin is not indicative of the highly competitive ballgame that took place. A&M remained in striking distance until a five-run Commodore outburst.
Trailing 5-4, A&M needed four different pitchers in the eighth. All five Vanderbilt runs came with two down to knock the Aggies out.
Calvin Hewett's bases-clearing double served as the knock-out punch.
"It's hard to get in this position when you have an opportunity to win a championship," Schlossnagle said. "We thought we were right in the fight, obviously, until just couldn't get the last out in the eighth inning.
"So credit Vandy, and hopefully, we'll have more baseball to play."
Still, pitching carried A&M all week.
Standout starts from Troy Wansing, Justin Lamkin and Will Johnston appear to have bolstered the rotation.
Evan Aschenbeck and Shane Sdao remain reliable left-handed relievers. Matt Dillard has emerged as well.
Still, the biggest question mark fall on the righties.
Earning his second start of the SEC Tournament, Nathan Dettmer was, again, unimpressive in his 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.
The biggest blow against him was Troy LaNeve's three-run homer in the second that put Vanderbilt up 3-1.
"You have to credit Vanderbilt," All-Tournament first baseman Jack Moss said. "They played great. We just didn't get it done."
Billed as a top-tier arm in the preseason, Dettmer's 1-3 record and 6.62 ERA will lead to a re-evaluation of his usage in the NCAA Tournament.
"He's proven, you know, last year and years before that he's capable of doing it," Schlossnagle said of Dettmer. "He's just in, really, a season-long funk. Hasn't come out of it. Whenever he's called upon, we'll believe that it's going to be his first good game."
Still, A&M's offense got Dettmer off the hook after falling into a 4-1 hole.
A Patrick Reilly wild pitch scored Jordan Thompson in the fourth. Max Kaufer's two-out, two-run single in the sixth pulled A&M even.
However, back-to-back singles off Chris Cortez to begin the bottom of that frame put men at the corners.
Although Wansing — making his third appearance of the week en route to All-Tournament honors — fought valiantly to minimize the damage, the Commodores still tallied what proved to be the winning run on Enrique Bradfield Jr.'s sacrifice bunt.
"Wansing has had a complete career change, hopefully in a great direction," Schlossnagle said. "Lamkin, Will Johnston as a starter, we know what Aschenbeck can give us. We know what Sdao can give us. (Brandyn) Garcia, we've asked a lot of. Asked a lot of Wansing the last two days.
"We need to find a right-handed pitcher. That's kind of been the story the whole season for us. In a regional, you know, you're pitching depth, getting tested."
But as they've shown all week, the Aggies didn't roll over.
Moss led off the seventh with a single. Jace LaViolette's one-out knock placed men at the corners.
Yet, Tim Corbin's move to Thomas Schultz paid off as Jordan Thompson grounded into an inning-ending double play that concluded what was ultimately A&M's final real threat.
"The one thing is that this isn't the end of our story," Moss said. "That's the good part. We still have a lot of baseball to play, hopefully from us, and if I'm getting on anybody, it's the Aggies."
While falling tantalizingly close to the program's second SEC Tournament title undoubtedly stings, the Maroon & White should leave Hoover feeling confident.
Once squarely on the bubble, the Aggies are firmly in the NCAA Field of 64 ahead of Selection Monday.
"I'm super proud of these guys," Moss said. "I know how hard we work as a team and collective unit. Just proud to be an Aggie and got to keep it going next week."
Whether the luggage cart — AKA the "whammy wagon" — makes the trip wherever they go, A&M figures to be a dangerous No. 2 seed in an NCAA Regional.
Another weekend on the mound like the week they just had could see the season extend even further.
After becoming the first double-digit seed to appear in the SEC Tournament final, these Aggies appear poised for more improbabilities in June.
And the way they've played over the last 11 days, nothing seems impossible.