Aggies land 1st World Series berth in 6 years
Misplayed pop-up leads to 7-run 8th on way to sweep of surprising Wildcats
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M coach Rob Childress might have drawn a few chuckles a few weeks ago with this bit of bravado from Saturday night.
“Our chances are as good as any other team that’s going to Omaha,” Childress said. “We’ve won five in a row. Why not win five more in a row?”
Childress and the Aggies own few doubters these days. The resilient players, nearly as much a Cinderella story as their Davidson counterparts, are bound for the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., after dispatching the Wildcats in two games of an NCAA Tournament super regional.
The Aggies used a wild eighth-inning comeback to defeat Davidson 12-6 on Saturday night at Blue Bell Park to advance to their first CWS since 2011.
Afterward, the Aggies (4121) dog-piled near the firstbase line in celebration, and chants of, “Omaha! Omaha!” rained down from a rowdy crowd of more than 7,000. The Aggies will face Louisville in the opening round of the CWS after the Cardinals knocked off Kentucky in two games in a super regional in Louisville, Ky.
“Davidson gave us everything we could handle, and then some,” Childress said. “We were fortunate to win the weekend.”
Capitalizing on a mistake
The Wildcats (35-26) appeared ready to force a deciding Game 3 on Sunday before the Aggies’ determination once again surfaced when it counted most. A&M scored seven runs in the eighth inning to overcome a 6-2 deficit.
A&M had the bases loaded in the eighth with two outs and trailing 6-5 when pinch hitter Jorge Gutierrez popped up the ball behind the pitcher’s mound for what appeared to be a third out — and a one-run Davidson lead headed into the ninth.
But Wildcats third baseman Eric Jones and second baseman Alec Acosta collided while both were trying to make the catch, and the ball popped loose with both on the ground. As second-base umpire Linus Baker ruled the ball still live, two A&M runners dashed across the plate and the Aggies gained the lead that will take them to Omaha.
“We certainly don’t do anything conventionally,” said Davidson coach Dick Cooke, whose program was making its first NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Atlantic 10 tournament.
A&M reliever John Doxakis took over for struggling starter Corbin Martin in the fifth inning and allowed one run over the next 21⁄3 innings, before giving way to Kaylor Chafin. The Aggies’ most reliable reliever this season then shut down the Wildcats over the final two innings.
A&M, serving as the visitors and leading 9-6 in the top of the ninth, put away the game thanks to a three-run
homer by Walker Pennington to left-center field, prompting a massive release of bubbles in the stands by the fans in what has become a tradition at Blue Bell Park.
The Aggies last played in Omaha in the CWS six years ago and lost 5-4 to South Carolina in their first game and 7-3 to California in their second.
On a postseason roll
Davidson as a fourth seed toppled North Carolina in a regional last week. The Tar Heels, who lost twice on their home field to the Wildcats, entered the postseason as the nation’s No. 2 overall seed.
A&M reached the super regional by winning at the University of Houston last weekend as the regional’s third seed, sweeping through the field with wins over Baylor, Iowa and Houston. The Aggies got a break with Davidson’s upset, and as a result A&M became the sixth No. 3 seed in NCAA history to host a super regional.
The Aggies entered the NCAA Tournament having lost eight of 10 games, and the NCAA baseball selection committee commented that A&M was one of the last four teams picked to make the postseason. Now, the Aggies are one of the first two squads in the eight-team CWS courtesy of the sweep of Davidson.
“I can’t stop smiling,” Pennington said. “We know how hard this season has been, and we’ve had a lot of adversity. We had a lot of adversity in this game, and it summed up our whole season.”