Saturday, June 4
Bryan-College Station
6:00 PM
Texas A&M
39-18
9
vs
6
Louisiana
37-22
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Texas A&M
4
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
1
9
17
4
Louisiana
2
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
6
14
2
Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics
No. 7 Aggies Rally to Top Louisiana, 9-6
Jun 04, 2022 | Baseball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Austin Bost's two-run home run in the eighth inning broke a tie ballgame and lifted seventh-ranked and fifth-seeded Texas A&M to an eventual 9-6 win over Louisiana in the NCAA College Station Regional Saturday night before a rowdy crowd of 6,675 at Blue Bell Park.
With the victory, A&M (39-18) advances to Sunday's 7 p.m. regional championship game. Louisiana (37-22) will face TCU (37-21) in an elimination contest set for Sunday at 1 p.m., with the victor advancing to face the Aggies.
Trailing 6-4, the Aggies plated two in the seventh on three consecutive hits to start the inning and tie the game. One inning later, Bost's long ball sailed high into the night to put the Aggies on top for the first time since the third inning.
The Ragin' Cajuns responded by putting the tying run on base with one out in their half of the eighth, but Brad Rudis came out of the pen and punched out leadoff hitter Will Veillon and Troy Claunch threw out the lead runner of a double steal at third base to end the threat and ignite the Aggie crowd.
Kole Kaler added a solo shot to right field to extend the lead to 9-6.
Jacob Palisch (5-3) picked up the win with three shutout innings of relief, allowing just four hits, while Rudis earned his third save of the year with 1.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen.
Hitting as the visiting team, A&M jumped out to a quick 4-0 advantage in their first at bat thanks to five singles in the frame. Ryan Targac's and Brett Minnich's two-run knocks accounted for the scoring.
The Ragin' Cajuns would answer back with a pair in their half of the first, add one in the second and two more in the third to retake the lead. A squeeze play in the fifth would extend the Cajun lead to two.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jack Moss (A&M) – 4-for-5, 2 runs
Brett Minnich (A&M) – 3-for-5, 3 RBI
Ryan Targac (A&M) – 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Carson Roccaforte (UL) – 3-for-5, 3 runs
Heath Hood (UL) – 2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
SCORING SUMMARY
T1 | Singles by Moss and Dylan Rock followed by a wild pitch had two in scoring position with one out. After a strikeout, Targac punched a full-count offering through the right side to score a pair. A Claunch single followed by a failed pickoff attempt moved two more into scoring position for Minnich, who pushed a 1-1 pitch past a diving second baseman and into right field to double the lead. A&M 4, UL 0
B1 | Back-to-back singles with two outs set ULL up with runners at the corners. Heath Hood then doubled to right center past a diving Minnich to plate two runs. A&M 4, UL 2
B2 | Leadoff hitter Julian Brock hit the second pitch of the inning over the wall in center field, just to the left of the batter's eye, his seventh home run of the season. A&M 4, UL 3
B3 | Two singles and an error on a sacrifice attempt loaded the bases with no outs. Hood's infield grounder plated the tying run, and following that Hood and Carson Roccaforte executed a double steal to take the lead. UL 5, A&M 4
B5 | With one out and a runner at third, Hood laid down a squeeze bunt to third base to plate Roccaforte. UL 6, A&M 4
T7 | Targac began the inning with a single to left, scoring when the next hitter—Claunch—doubled off the base of the wall under the scoreboard in left center. Two pitches later Minnich drove him home to tie the game with a base hit past a diving second baseman and into right field. A&M 6, UL 6
T8 | Jack Moss led off with an infield single, and quickly moved to third on a stolen base and throwing error by the catcher. One out later, Bost blasted a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left to retake the lead. A&M 8, UL 6
T9 | With two outs, Kaler hit a solo home run to right field. A&M 9, UL 6
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle
Opening Statement…
"First of all, what a great showing by the 12th man tonight. They are every reason you would want to come to Texas A&M to play baseball from an atmosphere standpoint. They definitely played a role in the game, and I want to speak on behalf of our team to thank the 12th man and all the Aggie fans who came out and were loud tonight from the first pitch. For the game itself, those are our guys and that is how they have played all season. It is not the prettiest thing, but it is the most competitive thing. I wish everybody in the ballpark could spend two minutes in a room with these kids, obviously these two guys (Austin Bost and Troy Claunch) are elite, but there are 25 other guys in that room who are just like them plus the guys who aren't with us. It is an honor to be with them every day. I am glad we won, but all we have won is two games. We have not won the regional, we still have a lot of rest to get and a lot of baseball to play."
On why Brad Rudis was trusted to close…
"Strikes. First and foremost, you know you are going to get strikes. I had planned on bringing him in if they got on first and second with nobody out. Jacob (Palisch) is a really good fielder of his position, but Brad (Rudis) is an even better fielder of his position. I fully trust Palisch, he has only given up one home run this season, but I didn't like the swing of the first at-bat, I thought the batter was on him. He had seen him before and I just wanted to change the look. Credit to Brad (Rudis) for not only getting us out of that inning, but in the ninth the 2-2 change up that Louisiana's batter took for strike three is the same pitch he threw Sonny Dichiara in the Auburn game to strike out one of the best hitters in college baseball. For a freshman to come in and do that in that environment, I just trust him."
On playing a different type of ball club…
"Credit to Matt Deggs. What an awesome thing to create an identity for his team. You do not see that stuff in the SEC, you just don't. There are few teams that will put a little pressure on you here or there and there are some teams that do absolutely nothing. When we play teams like that over and over again then you get comfortable. You still have to make plays, you still have to make pitches. If you can just get the outs, sometimes a team like that will score multiple runs because they end up giving up some outs. Coach Deggs is one of the best coaches in our sport in a variety of ways and he has done a great job with this team."
Graduate catcher Troy Claunch
On overcoming adversity throughout the game…
"It is what we have been doing all season, so we just continue to trust in what we do. Obviously, you want to score those runs when you have the bases loaded, but we just continue to grind out at-bats and continue trust in our process and we know it is going to come."
On executing the caught stealing to close the eighth inning…
"Coach Yeskie did a good job of mixing in holds and picks, and I just have to be ready to throw in every single pitch. I saw the guy on second base in the eighth getting a bit of a walking lead and was starting to time up Rudis so I had a feeling he might go. Luckily, I got a pitch up that I was able to make a good throw on."
Junior designated hitter Austin Bost
On his go-ahead home run…
"They were mixing up the pitches on me pretty well tonight. Started off with a breaker into the dirt and then pitched up in the zone that I swung through. The next pitch was left middle a bit down and that is where I like to swing. I put a good swing on it and good things happened. Emotionally, to see my team run out there and see the 12th man was crazy. With the amount of people there tonight it is the loudest I have heard Blue Bell Park since I have been here. It was a lot of fun, there were lots of emotions and I am glad I came through for my team. This offense is relentless, and anybody could have hit it. I am proud of our team tonight."
LOUISIANA QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Deggs
Opening statement...
"I thought it was a hell of a game. It was an entertaining game. Both sides got after it. Both sides competed really hard. Both starters battled really, really well. I also thought that both lefties did a really good job. They (Texas A&M) came up with the big hits and they are a really good offense. That's a really good ball club over there. But, I'm proud of our boys and I'm proud of the way we played. Bottom line is that they just out-hit us at the end of the day. The thing about these regionals is that they are not single elimination, they're double elimination. We've been in this boat before, so we know that there is a path forward and it is doable, but it's going to take some heroic efforts at the same time. I'm proud of these guys. I'd go to battle with them any day. I expect them to get a good nights rest, come out and put on a good show tomorrow."
On the work of starting RHP Jacob Schultz...
"It was hot out there, and that's a different type of lineup than what we've seen. That lineup is up there with Texas State's, and they (Texas A&M) maybe even have a few more pieces. So, I thought that he battled and settled in real well. The first inning maybe could have been a little bit different, those first two hits weren't hard. But they're a tough offense to stop. Their two thru six is as good as it gets as far as clicking on all cylinders right now. But we had our shot, man, we had a two-run lead. We just couldn't hold on to it."
On the offense's production Saturday...
"We've been coming on since April offensively, and this is a really good offense that we've got. We can beat you in a lot of different ways. I wish we weren't banged up right now, but that's no excuse. The guys we had out there played their butts off."
Sophomore centerfielder Carson Roccaforte
On the experience at Olsen Field…
"I would say it's a game you dream of playing in as a kid. There is no better atmosphere really. Hats off to those guys. They swing it and they never go away. I thought we swung it well tonight too, but they just had the bigger hits."
UPDATED REGIONAL SCHEDULE
(all times Central)
Friday, June 3
Game 1: Texas A&M 8, Oral Roberts 2
Game 2: Louisiana 7, TCU 6
Saturday, June 4
Game 3: TCU 3, Oral Roberts 1 (ORU eliminated)
Game 4: Texas A&M 9, Louisiana 6
Sunday, June 5
Game 5: TCU vs Louisiana (H), 1 p.m.
Game 6: Texas A&M vs TCU/UL winner, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 6
Game 7: Texas A&M vs TCU/UL winner (if necessary), 6 p.m.
With the victory, A&M (39-18) advances to Sunday's 7 p.m. regional championship game. Louisiana (37-22) will face TCU (37-21) in an elimination contest set for Sunday at 1 p.m., with the victor advancing to face the Aggies.
Trailing 6-4, the Aggies plated two in the seventh on three consecutive hits to start the inning and tie the game. One inning later, Bost's long ball sailed high into the night to put the Aggies on top for the first time since the third inning.
The Ragin' Cajuns responded by putting the tying run on base with one out in their half of the eighth, but Brad Rudis came out of the pen and punched out leadoff hitter Will Veillon and Troy Claunch threw out the lead runner of a double steal at third base to end the threat and ignite the Aggie crowd.
Kole Kaler added a solo shot to right field to extend the lead to 9-6.
Jacob Palisch (5-3) picked up the win with three shutout innings of relief, allowing just four hits, while Rudis earned his third save of the year with 1.2 shutout innings out of the bullpen.
Hitting as the visiting team, A&M jumped out to a quick 4-0 advantage in their first at bat thanks to five singles in the frame. Ryan Targac's and Brett Minnich's two-run knocks accounted for the scoring.
The Ragin' Cajuns would answer back with a pair in their half of the first, add one in the second and two more in the third to retake the lead. A squeeze play in the fifth would extend the Cajun lead to two.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jack Moss (A&M) – 4-for-5, 2 runs
Brett Minnich (A&M) – 3-for-5, 3 RBI
Ryan Targac (A&M) – 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Carson Roccaforte (UL) – 3-for-5, 3 runs
Heath Hood (UL) – 2-for-4, 2B, 4 RBI
SCORING SUMMARY
T1 | Singles by Moss and Dylan Rock followed by a wild pitch had two in scoring position with one out. After a strikeout, Targac punched a full-count offering through the right side to score a pair. A Claunch single followed by a failed pickoff attempt moved two more into scoring position for Minnich, who pushed a 1-1 pitch past a diving second baseman and into right field to double the lead. A&M 4, UL 0
B1 | Back-to-back singles with two outs set ULL up with runners at the corners. Heath Hood then doubled to right center past a diving Minnich to plate two runs. A&M 4, UL 2
B2 | Leadoff hitter Julian Brock hit the second pitch of the inning over the wall in center field, just to the left of the batter's eye, his seventh home run of the season. A&M 4, UL 3
B3 | Two singles and an error on a sacrifice attempt loaded the bases with no outs. Hood's infield grounder plated the tying run, and following that Hood and Carson Roccaforte executed a double steal to take the lead. UL 5, A&M 4
B5 | With one out and a runner at third, Hood laid down a squeeze bunt to third base to plate Roccaforte. UL 6, A&M 4
T7 | Targac began the inning with a single to left, scoring when the next hitter—Claunch—doubled off the base of the wall under the scoreboard in left center. Two pitches later Minnich drove him home to tie the game with a base hit past a diving second baseman and into right field. A&M 6, UL 6
T8 | Jack Moss led off with an infield single, and quickly moved to third on a stolen base and throwing error by the catcher. One out later, Bost blasted a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left to retake the lead. A&M 8, UL 6
T9 | With two outs, Kaler hit a solo home run to right field. A&M 9, UL 6
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Jim Schlossnagle
Opening Statement…
"First of all, what a great showing by the 12th man tonight. They are every reason you would want to come to Texas A&M to play baseball from an atmosphere standpoint. They definitely played a role in the game, and I want to speak on behalf of our team to thank the 12th man and all the Aggie fans who came out and were loud tonight from the first pitch. For the game itself, those are our guys and that is how they have played all season. It is not the prettiest thing, but it is the most competitive thing. I wish everybody in the ballpark could spend two minutes in a room with these kids, obviously these two guys (Austin Bost and Troy Claunch) are elite, but there are 25 other guys in that room who are just like them plus the guys who aren't with us. It is an honor to be with them every day. I am glad we won, but all we have won is two games. We have not won the regional, we still have a lot of rest to get and a lot of baseball to play."
On why Brad Rudis was trusted to close…
"Strikes. First and foremost, you know you are going to get strikes. I had planned on bringing him in if they got on first and second with nobody out. Jacob (Palisch) is a really good fielder of his position, but Brad (Rudis) is an even better fielder of his position. I fully trust Palisch, he has only given up one home run this season, but I didn't like the swing of the first at-bat, I thought the batter was on him. He had seen him before and I just wanted to change the look. Credit to Brad (Rudis) for not only getting us out of that inning, but in the ninth the 2-2 change up that Louisiana's batter took for strike three is the same pitch he threw Sonny Dichiara in the Auburn game to strike out one of the best hitters in college baseball. For a freshman to come in and do that in that environment, I just trust him."
On playing a different type of ball club…
"Credit to Matt Deggs. What an awesome thing to create an identity for his team. You do not see that stuff in the SEC, you just don't. There are few teams that will put a little pressure on you here or there and there are some teams that do absolutely nothing. When we play teams like that over and over again then you get comfortable. You still have to make plays, you still have to make pitches. If you can just get the outs, sometimes a team like that will score multiple runs because they end up giving up some outs. Coach Deggs is one of the best coaches in our sport in a variety of ways and he has done a great job with this team."
Graduate catcher Troy Claunch
On overcoming adversity throughout the game…
"It is what we have been doing all season, so we just continue to trust in what we do. Obviously, you want to score those runs when you have the bases loaded, but we just continue to grind out at-bats and continue trust in our process and we know it is going to come."
On executing the caught stealing to close the eighth inning…
"Coach Yeskie did a good job of mixing in holds and picks, and I just have to be ready to throw in every single pitch. I saw the guy on second base in the eighth getting a bit of a walking lead and was starting to time up Rudis so I had a feeling he might go. Luckily, I got a pitch up that I was able to make a good throw on."
Junior designated hitter Austin Bost
On his go-ahead home run…
"They were mixing up the pitches on me pretty well tonight. Started off with a breaker into the dirt and then pitched up in the zone that I swung through. The next pitch was left middle a bit down and that is where I like to swing. I put a good swing on it and good things happened. Emotionally, to see my team run out there and see the 12th man was crazy. With the amount of people there tonight it is the loudest I have heard Blue Bell Park since I have been here. It was a lot of fun, there were lots of emotions and I am glad I came through for my team. This offense is relentless, and anybody could have hit it. I am proud of our team tonight."
LOUISIANA QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Deggs
Opening statement...
"I thought it was a hell of a game. It was an entertaining game. Both sides got after it. Both sides competed really hard. Both starters battled really, really well. I also thought that both lefties did a really good job. They (Texas A&M) came up with the big hits and they are a really good offense. That's a really good ball club over there. But, I'm proud of our boys and I'm proud of the way we played. Bottom line is that they just out-hit us at the end of the day. The thing about these regionals is that they are not single elimination, they're double elimination. We've been in this boat before, so we know that there is a path forward and it is doable, but it's going to take some heroic efforts at the same time. I'm proud of these guys. I'd go to battle with them any day. I expect them to get a good nights rest, come out and put on a good show tomorrow."
On the work of starting RHP Jacob Schultz...
"It was hot out there, and that's a different type of lineup than what we've seen. That lineup is up there with Texas State's, and they (Texas A&M) maybe even have a few more pieces. So, I thought that he battled and settled in real well. The first inning maybe could have been a little bit different, those first two hits weren't hard. But they're a tough offense to stop. Their two thru six is as good as it gets as far as clicking on all cylinders right now. But we had our shot, man, we had a two-run lead. We just couldn't hold on to it."
On the offense's production Saturday...
"We've been coming on since April offensively, and this is a really good offense that we've got. We can beat you in a lot of different ways. I wish we weren't banged up right now, but that's no excuse. The guys we had out there played their butts off."
Sophomore centerfielder Carson Roccaforte
On the experience at Olsen Field…
"I would say it's a game you dream of playing in as a kid. There is no better atmosphere really. Hats off to those guys. They swing it and they never go away. I thought we swung it well tonight too, but they just had the bigger hits."
UPDATED REGIONAL SCHEDULE
(all times Central)
Friday, June 3
Game 1: Texas A&M 8, Oral Roberts 2
Game 2: Louisiana 7, TCU 6
Saturday, June 4
Game 3: TCU 3, Oral Roberts 1 (ORU eliminated)
Game 4: Texas A&M 9, Louisiana 6
Sunday, June 5
Game 5: TCU vs Louisiana (H), 1 p.m.
Game 6: Texas A&M vs TCU/UL winner, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 6
Game 7: Texas A&M vs TCU/UL winner (if necessary), 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Palisch, Jacob (5-3)
L: Ray, Tommy (3-3)
S: Rudis, Brad (3)
Batting:
2B: Claunch, Troy 1
HR: Bost, Austin 1 ; Kaler, Kole 1
RBI: Bost, Austin 2 ; Targac, Ryan 2 ; Claunch, Troy 1 ; Minnich, Brett 3 ; Kaler, Kole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Moss, Jack 2 ; Rock, Dylan 1 ; Bost, Austin 1 ; Targac, Ryan 2 ; Claunch, Troy 2 ; Kaler, Kole 1
HBP: Thompson, Jordan 1
Batting:
2B: DeBarge, Kyle 1 ; Hood, Heath 1
HR: Brock, Julian 1
RBI: Hood, Heath 4 ; Brock, Julian 1
SH: Robertson, Tyler 2 ; Hood, Heath 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DeBarge, Kyle 1 ; Roccaforte, Carson 3 ; Robertson, Tyler 1 ; Brock, Julian 1
SB: Roccaforte, Carson 1 ; Hood, Heath 1
CS: Veillon, Will 1 ; Willis, CJ 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
3
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF/INF
/ Baseball
C
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INF
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LHP
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RHP
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INF
/ BaseballMedia Availability: Michael Earley
Thursday, October 09
Media Availability: Caden Sorrell
Thursday, October 09
Media Availability: Aiden Sims
Thursday, October 09
Media Availability: Michael Earley
Thursday, October 02
