SCORE: Tennessee 4, Texas A&M 1 | FINAL (CWS Finals tied 1-1)
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Top-ranked Tennessee baseball (58-13, 22-8 SEC) is set to battle No. 3 seed Texas A&M Aggies (53-13, 19-11 SEC) Sunday in Omaha in game one of the College World Series Finals.
First pitch at Charles Schwab Field is set for 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Tennessee is aiming to keep its championship hopes alive Sunday after dropping game one to Texas A&M, 9-5. If the Vols win, there will be a deciding game three on Monday night for the National Championship. Texas A&M will end Tennessee’s season and claim the National Championship with a win Sunday.
A&M took an early lead it never relinquished. The Vols’ pitching wasn’t great but the defense was dreadful, committing three errors to give them little chance at being able to come back. Additionally, the offense mostly underwhelmed. Christian Moore and Kavares Tears each went 0-5 at the plate and the entire team was 2-13 with runners in scoring position.
RECAP: Tennessee Drops Game One Of College World Series Finals Against Texas A&M
This is the first time Tennessee is in the College World Series Finals since 1951. The Vols have never won a National Championship and neither have the Aggies.
Tennessee and Texas A&M went 3-0 prior to the final series. While the 3-0 starts allowed each team to reset its pitching for the weekend, neither team is at full strength. Tennessee is obviously without star pitcher AJ Russell who underwent Tommy John surgery last Tuesday, and A&M is without its best position player, Braden Montgomery, and one of its best arms, Shane Sdao.
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The two sides met once before the CWS Finals. Tennessee defeated A&M 7-4 in its second game of the SEC Tournament to eliminate the Aggies. It was the first of four wins for Tennessee that week as the Vols went on to claim an SEC Tournament championship.
Since Tennessee’s win over the Aggies, Texas A&M has not lost a game. The Vols will look to end the Aggies’ winning streak on Sunday to keep their season alive and force a deciding game three on Monday for the National Championship.
CROSSOVER: Tennessee Football AC Jokes About Adding Two Baseball Players To Football Team
RECORD: Tennessee Baseball Sets NCAA Record in College World Series Semifinals Win Over Florida State
Tennessee is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. The Vols swept through the Knoxville Regional and won two of three games against Evansville in the Knoxville Super Regional.
Texas A&M is the No. 3 seed after finishing second in the SEC West behind Arkansas. The Aggies have been among the top teams in the nation all year, owning sweeps over Auburn and Vanderbilt and a series win over Arkansas. In the postseason, the Aggies swept their regional and swept Oregon in the College Station Super.
SCOUTING REPORT: Tennessee Baseball College World Series Finals Preview: A Quick Look At Texas A&M
TRANSCRIPT: Everything Tennessee HC Tony Vitello Said After Vols Dropped Game One Against Texas A&M
For all of RTI’s baseball coverage so far in the College World Series, including an INSTANT reaction from Tennessee’s game one loss vs. Texas A&M, click here.
For the latest RTI Press Pass baseball podcast, click here.
More From RTI: Tennessee Confident It Will Bounce Back In Game Two Against Texas A&M
VIDEO: Tony Vitello, AJ Causey, Dylan Loy React to CWS Finals Game One Loss to Texas A&M
Injury Note
-Sophomore RHP AJ Russell is shut down for the remainder of the season and thus is inactive for the College World Series. Russell underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair his UCL. However, Russell is with the team in Omaha.
-RS-Jr. centerfielder Hunter Ensley is BACK starting in centerfield after not starting defensively for two straight games nursing an injury he sustained when crashing hard into the wall to make a catch-of-the-year candidate Sunday against UNC. Ensley was the DH in Wednesday’s game against FSU and game one against Texas A&M.
THREAD: Tennessee Baseball vs. Texas A&M Game One
Lineups, pitching matchup and additional pre-game notes are below, followed by the LIVE at-bat by at-bat game thread.
Starting Lineups
TENNESSEE STARTING NINE:
2B Christian Moore (R)
1B Blake Burke (L)
3B Billy Amick (R)
LF Dylan Dreiling (L)
CF Hunter Ensley (R)
RF Kavares Tears (L)
SS Dean Curley (R)
DH Cannon Peebles (S)
C Cal Stark (R)
Lineup Notes:
- Ensley is BACK in centerfield after starting as the DH Wednesday and Saturday.
- Ensley has been nursing a lower-body injury he sustained when crashing into the wall Sunday against North Carolina.
- Tears moves back to right field with Ensley in center.
- Cannon Peebles gets his first start of the CWS, starting at DH over Bargo and Chapman.
- Peebles has been great in pinch-hit opportunities this postseason. Peebles’ start comes after a poor night from Chapman on Saturday. Bargo hasn’t been productive in Omaha, either.
TEXAS A&M STARTING NINE:
3B Gavin Grahovac (R)
RF Jace LaViolette (L)
C Jackson Appel (S)
DH Hayden Schott (L)
1B Ted Burton (R)
LF Caden Sorrell (L)
SS Ali Camarillo (R)
2B Kaeden Kent (L)
CF Travis Chestnut (R)
Pitching Matchup:
Vols Jr. RHP Drew Beam (9-2, 4.30 ERA, 18 app., 18 starts, 2 CG, 98.1 IP, 100 H, 57 R, 47 ER, 25 BB, 92 K, 31 XBH, .260 opp. batting avg., 1.27 WHIP)
vs.
Aggies Sr. RHP Zane Badmaev (3-0, 2.70 ERA, 16 app., 0 starts, 23.1 IP, 16 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 27 K, 2 XBH, .188 opp. batting avg., 0.90 WHIP)
Pitching notes:
- Beam continues to start in a game two setting. Aaron Combs and Nate Snead are also ready to go out of the bullpen as neither pitched on Saturday.
- Arguably the best outing of Beam’s career came in a postseason elimination game (2023 vs. Southern Miss in Hattiesburg)
- Badmaev gets his first start of the season. Will likely be used as an opener before giving way to elite reliever Chris Cortez.
- Badmaev’s longest outing of the season is 4.1 innings. The most pitches he’s thrown is 54. Outside of the one 4.1 inning outing (Ole Miss), he doesn’t have another outing with more than 2.0 innings.
- Badmaev hasn’t given up more than one earned run against an SEC team and has only done it once this season (vs. Sam Houston).
- Badmaev is yet to pitch in the CWS and has one postseason appearance (1 scoreless inning vs. Oregon)
Uniforms
Tennessee: Dark Mode
Texas A&M: All whites with maroon caps
*NOTES*
- There is NO Run-Rule in NCAA Tournament play.
- Tennessee is the AWAY team as it was the home team Saturday. The Vols will be the HOME Monday if they force a game three.
GAME THREAD
1st Inning:
T1
First pitch is a strike at 2:10 p.m. ET.
-Christian Moore smokes a leadoff single up the middle.
-Blake Burke lines out to LF.
-Billy Amick strikes out swinging.
Moore steals second. Now 5-9 on stolen bases this season.
Texas A&M CHALLENGED the call of safe at second, and the call was CONFIRMED.
Top Texas A&M reliever Chris Cortez is warming up in the bullpen.
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.
END OF TOP HALF
B1
-Gavin Grahovac pops up to 2B in shallow RF.
- Nearly a disaster for Tennessee as Tears was running towards the ball but Moore was standing right there in shallow right. Probably Tears’ ball to get. But disaster avoided as Moore makes the catch, and the two didn’t collide.
-Jace LaViolette hammers a solo homer to right field.
- No doubter. Got out in a hurry. 414 feet, 111 mph.
-Jackson Appel strikes out swinging.
-Hayden Schott strikes out looking.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Aggies 1
2nd Inning:
T2
-Hunter Ensley smacks a leadoff single to center.
*Pitching change: Jr. RHP Chris Cortez (10-3, 2.98 ERA) on to pitch for Badmaev*
-Kavares Tears strikes out swinging.
-Dean Curley flies out to CF.
-Cannon Peebles is walked on four pitches.
-Cal Stark reaches on a throwing error by SS Ali Camarillo.
- Short-armed the throw but Ted Burton probably should have made the scoop at first. Pops out of his glove allowing Stark to reach on the E6.
- Bases loaded with two outs for Christian Moore.
-Christian Moore grounds out to 2B to strand ’em loaded.
END OF TOP HALF
B2
-Ted Burton strikes out swinging, out at first C to 1B.
-Caden Sorrell strikes out looking.
- 4 of Beam’s five outs have been Ks.
-Ali Camarillo strikes out swinging on three pitches.
- Make that five of six. 5 straight Ks for Beam through 2.0 innings.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Aggies 1
3rd Inning:
T3
-Blake Burke works a leadoff walk.
-Billy Amick strikes out looking on three pitches.
- Watched ’em all.
-Dylan Dreiling reaches on a fielder’s choice to P. Burke out at second, 1-6.
- Nice stretch by Ali Camarillo at second as Cortez nearly threw it away. Fired it far too wide but Camarillo saved it.
-Hunter Ensley strikes out swinging on three pitches.
END OF TOP HALF
B3
-Kaeden Kent bloops a single down the RF line.
- Hit in no man’s land between Burke and Tears. Burke was a couple of steps away from getting to it.
Kent picked off at first, 1-3. Great stuff by Beam and Burke to immediately pick him off.
- Kent was initially ruled safe but Tennessee CHALLENGED the call and it was OVERTURNED to out.
-Travis Chestnut strikes out looking.
-Gavin Grahovac strikes out swinging.
- Now 7 Ks for Beam. He is DIALED.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Aggies 1
4th Inning:
T4
-Kavares Tears singles through the right side.
- Leadoff man has gotten on all four innings thus far for Tennessee.
-Dean Curley flies out to RF.
-Cannon Peebles works a walk after a great AB. Tears to second.
-Cal Stark strikes out swinging.
-Christian Moore is walked on four pitches.
- Bases loaded with two outs for Blake Burke.
-Blake Burke grounds out to 2B to strand ’em loaded.
- Tennessee has stranded the bases loaded twice.
- Close play as the second baseman did a glove flip to the first baseman that hung in the air for a bit. But Burke didn’t beat it.
- Tennessee has left 8 men on base so far and are 0-13 with runners on and 0-5 with RISP.
END OF TOP HALF
B4
-Jace LaViolette works a leadoff walk.
-Jackson Appel flies out to LF.
-Hayden Schott reaches on a fielder’s choice to 1B as LaViolette is out at second, 3-6.
- Nice play by Burke. Dove to stop it then made the right decision to throw to second.
-Ted Burton grounds out to P.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Aggies 1
5th Inning:
T5
-Billy Amick strikes out swinging after a nine-pitch AB.
- Another K for Billy but he made Cortez work that AB. Undoubtedly best AB of the day from Amick.
- Check swing for strike three. Looked like he barely went.
-Dylan Dreiling strikes out swinging.
-Hunter Ensley lines out to LF.
END OF TOP HALF
B5
-Caden Sorrell legs out an infield single to SS.
-Ali Camarillo is walked after a nine-pitch at-bat. Sorrell to second.
*Pitching change: Jr. RHP Aaron Combs (2-1, 3.32 ERA) on to pitch for Beam*
-Kaeden Kent strikes out swinging on three pitches.
-Travis Chestnut strikes out swinging.
Camarillo picked off at first, 2-3.
- The Cal Stark back-pick special. Tremendous stuff from Stark and Burke to get out of the inning.
- Tennessee CHALLENGED the initial ruling of safe on the pickoff attempt, and the call was OVERTURNED.
- Two calls have been overturned on Tennessee challenges today.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Aggies 1
6th Inning:
T6
-Kavares Tears strikes out swinging.
-Dean Curley slaps a single to RF.
Curley advances to second on a wild pitch.
-Cannon Peebles is walked on four pitches.
- 3 walks on 3 plate appearances today for Peebles.
HC Jim Schlossnagle and the trainer going out to check on Cortez.
*Pitching change: Fr. LHP Kaiden Wilson (0-1, 8.31 ERA) on to pitch for Cortez*
-Cal Stark grounds into a 5-4-3 double play.
- Tennessee is 0-14 with runners on today. 0-6 with RISP.
- Stark is 0-16 so far in Omaha.
- Worst case scenario with Stark up to bat. Another Tennessee threat thwarted.
END OF TOP HALF
B6
-Gavin Grahovac strikes out swinging after an eight-pitch at-bat.
-Jace LaViolette works a walk.
-Jackson Appel knocks a single to RF. LaViolette advances to second.
-Hayden Schott flies out to the warning track in left-center. LaViolette advances to third.
-Ted Burton flies out to RF in right-center.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 0, Aggies 1
7th Inning:
T7
Tennessee CHALLENGED that Christian Moore got hit by a pitch. The call was CONFIRMED. NO HBP.
- Wasn’t particularly close.
- Odd challenge there from Tennessee.
-Christian Moore works a leadoff walk.
-Blake Burke flies out to deep CF. Moore tags up and advances to second.
Trainer Jeff Wood out to check on Moore after he seemingly injured himself on the slide at second.
- Moore is staying in the game.
-Billy Amick flies out to RF.
-Dylan Dreiling crushes a two-run homer to the bullpen in right field.
- 390 feet. 104 mph.
- 22nd HR for Dreiling this season. What a CWS he’s having. The most clutch player on Tennessee and it’s not close.
-Hunter Ensley pops up to RF in shallow right.
END OF TOP HALF
B7
-Caden Sorrell strikes out swinging on three pitches.
-Ali Camarillo strikes out swinging.
-Kaeden Kent flies out to LF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 2, Aggies 1
8th Inning:
T8
-Kavares Tears strikes out swinging on three pitches.
-Dean Curley sends a single to left-center.
-Cannon Peebles strikes out swinging.
-Cal Stark launches a two-run homer to left-field over the bullpen.
- Stark’s first hit in the College World Series is a huge one. No doubter.
- Was 0-16 before that homer. What a time to hit one.
- 11th HR of the season for Stark.
*Pitching change: Sr. RHP Brock Peery (2-1, 3.60 ERA) on to pitch for Wilson*
-Christian Moore flies out to the warning track in RF.
END OF TOP HALF
B8
*Hank Bard pinch-hitting for Travis Chestnut*
-Hank Bard grounds out to 2B.
- Nice play by CMo on the glove flip.
-Gavin Grahovac flies out to RF.
-Jace LaViolette singles through the right side.
-Jackson Appel is walked on four pitches. LaViolette to second.
-Hayden Schott flies out to LF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 4, Aggies 1
9th Inning:
T9
*Grahovac to LF*
*Kent to 3B*
*Jack Bell to 2B for Hank Bard*
*Sorrell to RF*
*LaViollete to CF*
*Pitching change: Fr. RHP Weston Moss (3-0, 4.76 ERA) on to pitch for Peery*
-Blake Burke strikes out swinging.
-Billy Amick grounds out to 2B.
-Dylan Dreiling grounds out to 1B unassisted.
END OF TOP HALF
B9
*Ariel Antigua to 2B for Christian Moore*
-Ted Burton singles through the left side.
*Pitching change: Sr. LHP Kirby Connell (4-1, 3.72 ERA) on to pitch for Combs*
-Caden Sorrell slaps a single to left field. Burton advances to second.
- Tying run at the plate.
*Pitching change: So. RHP Nate Snead (10-2, 3.10 ERA) on to pitch for Connell*
-Ali Camarillo reaches on a fielder’s choice to 2B as Sorrell is out, 2B unassisted. Burton advances to third.
-Kaeden Kent flies out to LF.
*Ryan Targac pinch-hitting for Jack Bell*
Camarillo steals second.
-Ryan Targac flies out to the warning track in RF.
END OF BOTTOM HALF
Score: Vols 4, Aggies 1
END OF GAME
FINAL: Tennessee Vols 4, Texas A&M Aggies 1
