Game Recap – Baseball: No. 10 Texas A&M vs No. 2 Arkansas (SEC Tournament Semifinals)

Texas A&M baseball is headed to the championship! The Aggies become the first double-digit seed in SEC Tournament history to reach the title game following their 5-4 win over Arkansas.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but a win in the SEC Tournament Semifinals works just as well! In a rematch with No. 2 Arkansas, No. 10 Texas A&M fended off a ninth-inning comeback attempt to eliminate the Hogs with a 5-4 win.

After falling to Arkansas in extra innings in the tournament’s second round, Saturday’s matchup set up a rematch with the Hogs in Hoover. After two scoreless innings to begin the afternoon, the Aggies struck first courtesy of a Trevor Werner double to right center, allowing Hunter Haas to score in the third inning to put A&M up 1-0.

Brady Tygart gave the Aggies everything they could handle with his performance on the mound, recording three strikeouts while allowing three hits and two walks in 3.1 innings.

Following a standstill in the fourth and fifth, a three-run inning by the Aggies in the sixth gave the Maroon and White a commanding 4-0 lead. Haas drew a bases-loaded walk to help extend the lead to 3-0, while Jack Moss followed up with a bases-loaded walk of his own to pick up the RBI to make it 4-0 in the sixth.

But the Hogs would not go down quietly, as Arkansas got one back in the seventh courtesy of a Ben McLaughlin single to left center, allowing Caleb Cali to score and cut the deficit to 4-1. Jace LaViolette provided some insurance by hitting a single and driving home Moss to put the Aggies up 5-1 in the eighth.

And then, an anxiety-filled ninth inning crept up to make Aggies fans sweat down the stretch.

A two-run double by Bolton brought the tying run to the plate with just one out, while the Hogs got another courtesy with runners at first and second. Arkansas cut the deficit to 5-4 in the ninth, with just one out.

And then, Troy Wansing entered to slam the door shut on the Hogs effectively. As the kids these days say, “Wansing is him!”

The southpaw entered the ninth, and with Jared Wagner standing at the plate with a 2-2 count, Wansing got him swinging to send Arkansas packing while propelling the Aggies to the title game.

 

Texas A&M moves on to the SEC Championship game tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT. They will face the winner of No. 1 Florida and No. 4 Vanderbilt.

Final Score: Aggies 5, Razorbacks 4 – W: Sdao, Shane (3-1), S: Wansing, Troy L: Tygart, Brady (2-1)

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