The Oregon Ducks got rolling early, but they couldn’t keep up with Texas A&M’s high-powered offense in a 10-6 loss in Game 1 of the NCAA baseball super regionals Saturday at Blue Bell Park in Bryan-College Station, Texas.
Oregon now must win two games in a row to keep its season alive and clinch a berth in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The Aggies need to win just one more game, either Sunday or Monday, to advance to Omaha.
Here’s a recap of how the game unfolded.
LIVE UPDATES RECAP
TEXAS A&M 10, OREGON 6 — FINAL
Top 9th: Oregon is down to its final three outs, but Aroz, Meggers and Smith are due up for the Ducks. Aroz strikes out swinging. Meggers is out at first on a grounder. Smith strikes out swinging, and Texas A&M takes Game 1 of the Bryan-College Station Super Regional, winning 10-6.
--- End 8th ---
Bottom 8th: Mercado remains on the mound for UO. Kent singles as the ball goes off the glove of Ducks second baseman Drew Smith. Kent gets caught stealing for the first out. Appel flies out to right field. Burton singles up the middle, off the foot of Mercado. That brings up Schott. He singles to center, and Burton scoots to third. That’s all for Mercado, as the Ducks turn to right-hander Turner Spoljaric. He gets Camarillo to pop up to end the inning.
--- Middle 8th ---
Top 8th: Smith walks to begin the eighth. Molony strikes out looking. Garate squares up to bunt but gets hit by the pitch and heads to first. The Aggies make a pitching change. In comes left-hander Evan Aschenbeck. Boettcher fouls out for the second out. Neville strikes out swinging, and that’s it for the Ducks in the eighth. They still trail 10-6.
--- End 7th ---
Bottom 7th: Chestnut leads it off for Texas A&M. He strikes out swinging. Grahovac strikes out swinging as well. LaViolette takes a foul ball to the ankle and tries to walk it off. He strikes out swinging to end the inning.
--- Middle 7th ---
Top 7th: Chase Meggers strikes out looking. The Aggies’ Chris Cortez now has eight strikeouts on the day. Make it nine Ks as Smith goes down swinging. Walsh pops up to shortstop to end the frame. At the stretch, A&M leads it 10-6.
--- End 6th ---
Bottom 6th: Schott and Camarillo each ground out for A&M, so two quick outs. Sorrell pops up to center, and it’s a 1-2-3 inning for Mercado and Oregon.
--- Middle 6th ---
Top 6th: Molony pops up to lead off the sixth for the Ducks. Garate beats out a throw for an infield single. Boettcher fouls out to catcher for the second out. Neville walks. But Aroz strikes out, stranding two. The Aggies lead it 10-6 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
--- End 5th ---
Bottom 5th: Sorrell walks to begin the Aggies’ half of the fifth. Sorrell moves over to second on a wild pitch. Chestnut walks. Another wild pitch allows the runners to advance to second and third. Grahovac walks to load the bases. Featherston’s day is done. The new Oregon pitcher is right-hander Logan Mercado. He falls behind 3-0 to Jace LaViolette. And Mercado walks in a run on the fourth pitch. Texas A&M leads it 8-6. Kent grounds out to first base, but Chestnut scores from third to make it 9-6. Runners on second and third now. Appel grounds out to second base, but another run scores to make it 10-6. Burton flies out to center for the third out.
--- Middle 5th ---
Top 5th: Smith strikes out looking, and that’s six strikeouts for A&M reliever Chris Cortez. Walsh gives one a ride to right field, but the catch is made for the second out. Thompson grounds out, and it’s a 1-2-3 inning for Cortez and the Aggies.
--- End 4th ---
Bottom 4th: Chestnut strikes out looking for the Aggies. Grahovac drives a single into left-center. Now LaViolette doubles down the right field line. Grahovac scores to cut Oregon’s lead to 6-5. An error by Neville leaves LaViolette on third. Texas A&M ties the game at 6-6. Jacob Walsh can’t come up with the ball at first. LaViolette scores, and Kent is safe at first. Appel doubles down the right field line, and Kent moves to third. Appel is 3 for 3 on the day. Still a 6-6 game. That’s all for Gordon. He threw 103 pitches. Right-hander Ryan Featherston takes the mound for Oregon. Burton walks to load the bases on four pitches. Schott hits a fielder’s choice to second, but the chopper allows Kent to score from third. The Aggies take a 7-6 lead. Two outs now and runners at the corners. Camarillo pops up to first base, and the inning is over. But not before Texas A&M takes a 7-6 lead.
--- Middle 4th ---
Top 4th: Garate, Boettcher and Neville are due up for the Ducks. Braden Montgomery is back in the A&M dugout, but he has a walking boot on his right foot. Garate grounds out to shortstop. Boettcher with an infield single. Neville strikes out swinging. Aroz draws a walk, so it’s runners on first and second for Meggers. He strikes out swinging to end the frame.
--- End 3rd ---
Bottom 3rd: Appel doubles to right. He moves to third on a wild pitch. Burton strikes out looking. Schott singles through the right side, and Appel scores to cut the UO lead to 6-4. Gordon strikes out Camarillo swinging. A fielder’s choice ends the inning. The Aggies get a run, but the Ducks still lead 6-4.
--- Middle 3rd ---
Top 3rd: Two quick outs, with Oregon’s Jacob Walsh striking out for the second time today and then Thompson grounding out to third base. And then Molony strikes out swinging.
--- End 2nd ---
Bottom 2nd: Texas A&M’s Travis Chestnut draws a walk. He moves over to second on a wild pitch. Then he gets picked off by Gordon. The play is under review, though. It stands as called, so one out. Grahovac strikes out swinging, so two quick outs for the Ducks. Jace LaViolette walks. Kaeden Kent, who replaced the injured Montgomery, lifts one to right-center, but it’s caught at the warning track. The Ducks still lead it 6-3.
--- Middle 2nd ---
Top 2nd: Bennett Thompson with an infield single to shortstop. Maddox Molony then flies out to center. That brings up Carter Garate. He singles to right-center, and Thompson moves over to third. Bryce Boettcher is hit by a pitch, and that loads the bases with one out. Neville flies out to center, but Thompson tags up and scores from third. Garate advances to third. It’s tied up at 3-3. Aroz singles through the left side, and Garate scores to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead. Boettcher moves to second, so two runners on for Meggers. And he doubles to the gap in left-center. That brings home both Boettcher and Aroz. Oregon leads it 6-3. That’s all for A&M starter Prager. The Aggies bring in Chris Cortez. He strikes out Drew Smith to end the inning.
--- End 1st ---
Bottom 1st: Oregon starter RJ Gordon walks Gavin Grahovac on four pitches. Jace LaViolette flies out to right field. The count goes full to Braden Montgomery, and then he walks to put runners on first and second with one out. Jackson Appel singles to right-center and that drives in Grahovac as the Aggies get on the board and cut the Ducks’ lead to 2-1. So now it’s runners at first and second for Ted Burton. He singles to left field, Montgomery is waved home, but he’s out at the plate on a nice play from left by Anson Aroz. Montgomery is shaken up on the play. Trainers appear to be tending to Montgomery’s right foot or ankle. He has to be helped off the field. So two outs now, and runners are at second and third. Appel scores from third on a wild pitch, and A&M ties it up at 2-2. Hayden Schott doubles to right-center field, and that drives in another run. The Aggies now lead it 3-2. Ali Camarillo singles to left. Schott is held up at third. It’s runners at first and third for Caden Sorrell. Gordon falls behind 3-0 and already has thrown 40 pitches. Now a full count. Sorrell flies out to left to end the inning. Texas A&M answers and leads it 3-2.
--- Middle 1st ---
Top 1st: Oregon bats first, with Mason Neville leading off. Neville singles to center field, so a nice start for the Ducks. Now Anson Aroz drives an 0-1 pitch to left field, and it’s over the wall for a home run. Oregon takes a quick 2-0 lead. Chase Meggers gets on base with a swinging bunt, and that brings Drew Smith to the plate. Smith grounds into a double play, so two outs now as Jacob Walsh steps in. Walsh falls behind 0-2, then strikes out swinging. But a strong first inning for the Ducks, who lead it 2-0.
Pregame information
OREGON DUCKS (40-18) VS. NO. 3 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (47-13)
When: 11 a.m. PDT/2 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 8
Where: Blue Bell Park, Bryan-College Station, Texas
Format: This is Game 1 of a best-of-three, head-to-head series. The winner advances to the College World Series, which begins next Friday in Omaha.
TV channel: ESPN2
Live stream: ESPN+
OREGON’S LINEUP
1. RF Mason Neville
2. LF Anson Aroz
3. DH Chase Meggers
4. 2B Drew Smith
5. 1B Jacob Walsh
6. C Bennett Thompson
7. SS Maddox Molony
8. 3B Carter Garate
9. CF Bryce Boettcher
P: RJ Gordon
TEXAS A&M’S LINEUP
1. 3B Gavin Grahovac
2. CF Jace LaViolette
3. RF Braden Montgomery
4. C Jackson Appel
5. 1B Ted Burton
6. DH Hayden Schott
7. SS Ali Camarillo
8. LF Caden Sorrell
9. 2B Travis Chestnut
P: Ryan Prager
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