CWS title hopes need a two-game rally against Texas A&M

The Tennessee Vols opened the championship round of the College World Series just as they played their first game at Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. But this time there was no dramatic rally in the ninth inning.

There is still time for a comeback against Texas A&M. However, it will take two games, not one inning.

The Aggies took the lead in the best-of-three series on Friday night with a 9-5 victory. UT, which lost for just the 13th time in 71 games, will need to win Sunday afternoon and Monday night if it hopes to claim its first national baseball championship.

Although the Vols (58-12) are the No. 1 seed, the loss to the third-seeded Aggies (53-13) was hardly shocking, especially since Texas A&M had its top pitcher, Ryan Prager, on the mound. But the nature of the loss was notable because it exposed the same shortcomings in Tennessee as the CWS opener against Florida State.

The defense failed again. So did the unorthodox pitching combination (Chris Stamos started and AJ Causey quickly followed) that has served coach Tony Vitello so well for most of the season. The result: another early deficit.

Two Tennessee errors played a prominent role in the 7-1 deficit after a five-run Aggies third inning, just as three errors had proven costly against Florida State.

Tennessee overcame a disastrous start against the Seminoles – thanks largely to a four-run ninth inning – for a 12-11 win that catapulted it into the winners bracket and a 3-0 start in the CWS.

It’s easy to question Vitello’s strategy of opening with Stamos, who has failed to strike out more than one batter in three of his past four starts. But the strategy paid off for much of the season. In addition, UT’s options diminished with the loss of injured pitcher AJ Russell, who was expected to be the No. 1 starter.

If Causey had been as effective as he was during the regular season, the Aggies’ two-run first inning wouldn’t have been a problem. However, he was not sharp, and that – combined with shaky fielding – proved too much to overcome.

Tennessee had early scoring opportunities but couldn’t convert, even though Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle pulled Prager after giving up a leadoff double to Blake Burke in the fifth inning. Relief pitcher Josh Stewart turned the Vols back with three straight outs and runners on first and second base.

The starting pitching could shift in the Vols’ favor on Sunday with Drew Beam and – if Beam is successful – Zander Sechrist on Monday night. Texas A&M does not have a deep pitching staff; it has also lost a starter to injury.

Still, the Aggies are not lacking in quality. Pitching was the team’s strength in winning nine straight games in the NCAA tournament.

Even with a seemingly comfortable lead, their pitching was tested against the Vols, who entered the game leading the nation with 178 home runs and had five batters with 20 or more home runs. Fortunately for the Aggies, they had a 9-2 cushion when the power surge came from Tennessee.

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Dylan Dreiling delivered a two-run homer and Hunter Ensley followed with a solo shot as Tennessee cut Texas A&M’s lead to four runs in the seventh inning. You can submit this under ‘too little, too late’.

By then, the Aggies already had two home runs of their own. Gavin Grahovac led off the game with one, and Kaeden Kent hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

Texas A&M was superior to Tennessee in every area on Saturday. But superiority can come and go in the CWS.

You saw that in the Vols’ comeback against Florida State. With no more room for error – and a championship on the line – they will need a two-game comeback.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He can be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him on: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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