Baseball Tops Cal in 12, Forces Monday Championship Game

Sunday, May 31

College Station

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

48-12

Cal

36-20

Texas A&M

California

Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics

Jun 01, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score Texas A&M 4, Cal 3 (PDF)

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Nick Banks delivered a go-ahead single in the top of the 12th inning and Jason Freeman got out a precarious situation in the bottom of the frame to give the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies a 4-3 win over the California Golden Bears, setting up a winner-takes-all championship game of the College Station Regional on Monday night.

With two outs and the score tied at 3-3 in the top of the 12th, Mitchell Nau laced a single through the left side of the infield. Logan Taylor followed by sending a grounder to Preston Grand Pre, who had played impeccable defense at shortstop in the regional up until that point. Grand Pre's throw to first was high causing first baseman Chris Paul to come off the bag and Taylor reached on the error. Banks, who was intentionally walked in his previous two plate appearances, made the Golden Bears pay for the error driving a single to centerfield. Nau hustled home to touch the plate before Taylor was retired at third for the third out of the frame.

Freeman who retired three of the four batters he faced in the 11th, including two strikeouts, returned to work the bottom of the 12th. Aaron Knapp worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Devin Pearson. Freeman induced a fly out to rightfield by Lucas Erceg to set up the bizarre last play of the game. Paul hit a ball that caromed off the glove of a diving Hunter Melton at first base. Melton scrambled to get the ball and did not have a play at first base. Knapp decided to take advantage of the situation and rounded third at home. Melton threw the ball to Nau at the plate with Knapp still 45 feet from home. Nau started the rundown and threw the ball to third baseman Ronnie Gideon standing 10 up the line off of third. With no one covering home and Nau 30 feet up the line it became a mad dash to the plate with Gideon making a diving lung to tag Knapp just before he was able to go into his head-first slide for home.

Trailing 3-2, Gideon was also a part of offensive heroics in the top of the ninth that sent the game to extra frames. With one out, Logan Nottebrok drove a single to centerfield and was replaced at first base by pinch-runner Nick Choruby. Gideon was called on to pinch-hit for Michael Barash and he responded by drilling a first-pitch offering down the leftfield line and the mercurial Choruby scampered home for the tying run.

California (36-20) struck first with a run in the bottom of the first. Knapp started the inning by bunting the first pitch he saw for a single. Pearson followed with a single to rightfield to put runners on the corners and Erceg plated Knapp with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Texas A&M (48-12) responded with an equalizer in the fourth when Ryne Birk launched a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right-center for his 10th home run of the season.

The Aggies claimed their first lead of the game in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Jonathan Moroney slapped a ball past a diving second baseman and into the right-center gap for a double. Logan Nottebrok worked a five-pitch walk and Michael Barash knocked a single through the left side of the infield, sending Moroney home with for the 2-1 advantage.

The momentum would not stay in the A&M dugout for long as Mitchell Kranson launched a leadoff home run over the right-center fence in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 2-2.

The Golden Bears wrestled the lead back in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Aggie leftfielder Taylor lost a fly ball by Paul in the lights and Paul circled around to third for a triple. Kranson punched a ball to leftfield, knocking in Paul with the sacrifice fly, giving California a 3-2 advantage.

Nau paced the Aggies with three hits. Birk and Nottebrok had two apiece.

Knapp, Paul and Kranson each registered three hits with Kranson accounting for two RBI.

In his first start since last year's Houston Regional, Tyler Stubblefield worked 5.0 innings, yielding one run on four hits and one walk while striking out four. Mark Ecker was also stellar in relief, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three in 3.1 innings. Freeman (4-0) earned the win with 2.0 shutout innings. He scattered one hit and two walks while striking out two.

Erceg (0-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Golden Bears. He allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits and one walk while striking out one in 4.0 innings. Matt Ladrech was solid in his start, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out one in 5.0 innings.

Monday's game is slated for 6:35 pm with the television access to be announced. It can be seen on mobile devices and connected-TVs via the WatchESPN app.

Texas A&M Postgame

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Cal Postgame

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Head coach Rob Childress

Opening Statement...

"Just another heavyweight fight. If you're a fan of baseball, just like I said last night, you couldn't have asked for anything more again tonight from both teams. Cal's played almost perfect baseball the last two days and I feel like we have too. I'm just proud of our guys for not quitting, not being denied. Especially after losing that ball in the twilight and giving up that run, being able to comeback, and Ronnie Gideon coming off the bench and getting that big hit was huge. Every guy that touched the rubber tonight stepped forward and did an amazing job for us, and each guy that passed it to the next guy and gave us a chance. I'm very proud of Jason Freeman finishing it with as much pressure on him that he has ever had here at Texas A&M."

On finally using Jason Freeman after all this time...

"He is a wonderful young man and he is an extremely hard worker and I'm sure if you asked him, it feels like he should have pitched a bit more at times. But every day he comes to the field he is a great teammate, great leader, great worker, and he is always prepared. Usually when you do those things and you get the ball or you get the opportunity to play, or get a hit, good things usually come to those guys and Jason's one of those guys. He was at his very best when we needed him the most tonight and I couldn't be more proud of him and proud for him."

On the momentum you get from fighting off elimination twice in one day...

"Well, I don't know, we've got a little bit of momentum. I told them before the day started that there's six other teams across the country that are in the same boat as we are and it's just all going to come down to toughness, and taking it one inning at a time, and one pitch at a time. And I couldn't be more proud of our guys, but we still haven't done anything yet. It's about the finish. Tomorrow whoever plays the best, gets a big hit, or makes a big pitch is who is going to continue to move forward and the other teams season will be at the end. And that was the message to our guys we need to finish, we haven't done anything yet."

Sophomore outfielder Nick Banks

On his hitting approach tonight...

"I was just looking for a pitch that I could drive. I wasn't trying to do too much there. Just trying put the bat on the ball and get a good pitch that I could put a good swing on."

On staying with his approach after being walked purposely...

"Baseball will humble you like it did last night for me. I was just trying to take what I learned from last night and kind of bring it in tonight. I thought I was going to get my opportunity a little bit earlier but like you said they intentionally walked me twice. I was craving for that opportunity again."

Senior pitcher Jason Freeman

On how he pitched tonight...

"I was trying to mainly get ahead with fastballs and then after that I was going to my change-ups for both left-handed and right-handed hitters. And I felt like I was able to bury it tonight, which is something I usually struggle with a bit. So that was what got the swings-and-misses that I wanted."

On the final play...

"I threw a fastball away off the bat. I knew it was my bag to cover first because Melton was going for the ground ball, and I got to first and didn't realize that no one was covering home. I didn't think that guy was going to round third and then I turned around and realized that was also now my bag to cover. So I tried to get there as fast as I could but thankfully Ronnie Gideon really sold out and was playing the line there and got the last out for us."

2015 NCAA DIVISON I BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL – OLSEN FIELD AT BLUE BELL PARK

May 31, 2015 – TEXAS A&M 4, CALIFORNIA 3 – 12 innings

QUOTES

CALIFORNIA

Head Coach David Esquer

Opening statement…

"Another great ball game by two really good cubs at the highest level of baseball. We've played almost three games and we're tied 1-1. You don't see that often in too many places. Great electric crowd tonight. We had our chance with a one-run lead in the ninth, and they came back. Really proud of my team for them being so resilient and keep coming back. I couldn't have been prouder. A couple close calls there that just didn't go our way, and [A&M] took advantage of it. We got beat by achievement. In a game like that, that's what you want. You don't want to get beat by somebody failing. You want someone to achieve in order to win the ball game, and they did that."

On bunting Devin Pearson…

"We've got good hitters behind him with Lucas Erceg, Mitchell Kranson and Chris Paul. If we can get that one big hit, we could roll that into a multiple-run inning, but we want to get that roll-run first."

On pitcher Lucas Erceg's performance…

"I thought right out of the chute they were on him. Frankly, they've been facing softer pitchers in the tournament. I thought they were comfortable with a little bit more velocity against Erceg early. He settled down to three pitches in the first inning. He was able to throw a change up and a breaking ball as well in the second and third inning that made him a little more effective."

Junior catcher Mitchell Kranson

On Lucas Erceg's pitch to Ronnie Gideon that tied the game 3-3…

"It was a fastball. I thought it was our best pitch to go with. We decided to go with it, and it ended up turning on us."

On his offensive adjustments…

"The last three weekends of the year I felt like I was hitting the ball hard right at people. I squared up on most balls. It's baseball; the ball's going to fall. I loved the crowd tonight. I loved the noise and the atmosphere here. It's kind of awesome to make them quiet."

On preparation for tomorrow night's match…

"I'm ready to catch all nine even if it goes extras. I know our team is ready. It's a special group to be around. It's fun playing with every one of these guys."

California (36-20)

Team Notes

- With the loss, the Bears and Aggies will be play for a berth in the NCAA Super Regionals Monday at 6:30 p.m.

- Additionally, Cal fell to 4-3 all-time against Texas A&M.

- Cal had not played an extra-inning game all season prior to the regional, but have played beyond nine in back-to-back days. The last time the Bears had played extra innings was 5/7/14 against Arizona (W, 7-6). The last time Cal lost in extras was 5/3/14 against Oregon State (9-3).

- Sunday's game was the first of the College Station Regional that Cal failed to register double-digit hits. The Bears were 9-for-39 against Texas A&M.

Individual Notes

- Mitchell Kranson tallied his 21st RBI of the season with a seventh-inning home run; the junior has had an RBI every game in College Station. Kranson fished 2-for-4 against A&M Sunday, his ninth multi-hit game of the season.

- Aaron Knapp led off the game with a single, coming around to score the game's first run on a sac fly from Lucas Erceg. Knapp collected his second single in the third, but was picked off by A&M's Stubblefield. Knapp was tagged out at home trying to score with two outs.

- Chris Paul's joined Knapp and Kranson with a pair of hits against the Aggies, a triple in the eighth and a single in the 12th. The senior has 14 hits in his last 34 at-bats, raising his batting average on the season to .327.

- Starting pitcher Matt Ladrech threw five innings and did not factor in the decision, the freshman allowed one run on four hits and one walk. The righty struck out one of the 18 batters he faced.

- Erceg came on to throw the final four innings, taking the loss (0-1). The sophomore's longest outing coming into Sunday was one inning, six times. The right hander allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk; he struck out one of the 17 batters he faced.

2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship

College Station Regional

Texas A&M 4, Cal 3 (12 innings)

Notes

Texas A&M (48-12)

Team Notes

- With the win, the Aggies forced the 'if necessary' game. A berth in the NCAA Super Regionals will be decided Monday at 6:30 p.m.

- Additionally, A&M improved to 3-4 all-time against Cal.

- Texas A&M finished with 12 hits against Cal, their 34th game with double-digit hits. A&M ended a seven-game streak without 10 or more hits Saturday against Cal, having now reached double digits in three consecutive games for the first time since May 3-9 against Tennessee and two games against South Carolina.

- The Aggies were 4-for-13 with two outs, picking up a run in the seventh and the game-winning run in the 12th inning with two outs.

- Texas A&M pitching held Cal's leadoff hitters to 3-for-12 on the night, but two of the three leadoff hits for Cal led to runs (first inning and seventh inning).

Individual Notes

- Ryne Birk knotted the game at 1-1 with a big bopper over the 375 sign in right center. The sophomore now has home runs in six of his last 11 games.

- With a single in the fourth inning, Nau extended his hit streak to eight games, the longest current streak on the team. Nau finished 3-for-5 on the night, scoring the winning run in the 12th inning after hitting a two-out single to left center.

- Nick Banks failed to reach base his first three times at the plate, but reached the next three times he came up to bat. The A&M outfielder knocked in the game-winning RBI in the 12th inning, scoring Nau from second, the RBI was his 47th this season (second most on the team; Logan Taylor – 50).

- Logan Nottebrok reached base all four times he came to the plate before being lifted for a pinch runner in the ninth inning, Nick Choruby came on to run for Nottebrok. Choruby scored from first on a pitch-hit double from Ronnie Gideon to tie the game at three and force extra innings.

- Tyler Stubblefield started for Texas A&M for the first time in one day short of a year, starting June 1 against Texas in the Houston Regional last season. The sophomore threw five innings after only throwing two innings this season prior to Sunday. Stubblefield allowed one run on four hits and a walk, striking out four.

- Jason Freeman came on to pitch the final two innings, picking up the win