Texas A&M baseball climbed out of an early deficit Friday night to take down Cal State Fullerton in a 12-7 win, which officially moves them into the winner’s bracket of the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies will now face top-seed Stanford on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT.
After facing an early 3-0 deficit through the second inning, the Aggies responded with an 11-run explosion over the span of three innings to effectively put the game out of reach for the Titans. Erratic pitching from CSUF left a window of opportunity for the Maroon and White, and it’s safe to say they took advantage.
Starting pitcher Tyler Schultz gave up seven runs on four hits with six walks, while reliever Peyton Jones surrendered four runs on four hits with four walks. The Titans could feel the lead slipping away as the Aggies would load the bases on a plethora of walks, and it was only a matter of time before the Maroon and White capitalized on the opportunity.
Jordan Thompson (3), Ryan Targac (3), and Austin Bost (3) all recorded multiple runs while Hunter Haas (1), Stanley Tucker (1), and Max Kaufer (1) rounded out a 12-run performance from the Aggies.
Enough cannot be said for freshman Shane Sdao, who looked like anything but a first-year pitcher. Amid their early 3-0 deficit, Sdao entered the second inning and recorded the final out, then went on to retire the next seven batters.
Sdao kept the Titans in check as the Aggies went on their scoring barrage, throwing four hitless innings while surrendering just two walks and striking out four batters. He finished with a 4.32 ERA in 4.0 IP.
Here are the best social media reactions following Friday’s victory over CSUF: