Aggies Tame Bobcats to Advance to College Station Regional Finals – Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M slugged past Texas State, 17-2, to secure a spot in the College Station Regional finals Saturday night in front of a rowdy crowd of 7,061 fans at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
 
Weston Moss (5-2) dazzled on the mound in his first career postseason start, fanning a career-high 10 batters in 7.1 innings of work, the longest start of his career. Offensively, the Aggies (41-14) smacked 20 hits as each hitter in the lineup recorded a base knock to propel the Maroon & White to victory.
 
The Bobcats (37-25) chalked the first runs of the game with a solo homer in the first inning, followed by another solo shot in the second to claim a 2-0 advantage.
 
Gavin Grahovac cut the deficit in half with a two-out solo shot 378 feet off the Blue Bell Park scoreboard. His 21st long ball of the season was his second of the College Station Regional. Jake Duer put Texas A&M in front in the fourth inning on a 413-foot two-run dinger to center field.
 
The Aggies kept the momentum rolling in the fifth inning as Caden Sorrell ripped a double down the left the field line. Chris Hacopian made it a 4-2 ballgame on an RBI-single through the left side.
 
Ol’ Sarge’s charges plated five runs in the sixth inning, all with two outs, to break the game open, 9-2. With the bases loaded, a fielding error by Texas State’s shortstop off the bat of Hacopian brought a run across. Partida was hit by a pitch to tack on another run. Duer followed with a sharp single through the right side to bring a pair of runs across home plate. After Bear Harrison was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again, Ben Royo drove in a run with a single through the left side.
 

In the seventh inning, Hacopian tallied another run for the Maroon & White with an RBI double, plating Grahovac’s third run of the contest.
 
A seven-spot in the eighth inning gave the Aggies a commanding 17-2 lead. Kellner drove in a run with a single through the left side with one out. Sorrell, Hacopian and Duer each drove 2-RBI doubles to secure the final tally.
 
Moss exited the contest to a standing ovation in the eighth inning and was relieved by Cole Hubert, who tossed 1.0 inning in scoreless fashion. Hunter Vincent notched the final two outs via strikeout.
 
TOP PLAYERS
Weston Moss – W (5-2), 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 10 K
Jake Duer – 3-for-5, 1 R, 6 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB
Chris Hacopian – 3-for-6, 1 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B
Caden Sorrell – 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB
Boston Kellner – 3-for-6, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
Nico Partida – 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Gavin Grahovac – 1-for-4, 4 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 HBP

SCORING SUMMARY

B1 | Manny Salas knocked a solo homer to left field. A&M 0, Texas State 1.

 

B2 | Jackson Cotton led off the frame with a home run. A&M 0, Texas State 2.

 

T3 | Grahovac mashed a solo homer to left field. A&M 1, Texas State 2.

 

T4 | Partida led off the frame with a single through the left side. Duer smacked a home run over the center field wall. A&M 3, Texas State 2.

 

T5 | Sorrell laced a double down the left field line and was brought home on a Hacopian single through the left side. A&M 4, Texas State 2.

 

T6 | Kiel singled through the left side, followed by a Kellner double to left-center field. Grahovac reached first on a dropped third strike to juice the bases. Hacopian brought a run home on a fielding error by the Bobcats’ shortstop. Partida was hit by a pitch with the bases still loaded to bring in another score. Duer shot a single through the right side, plating a pair of runs. Harrison was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again. Royo reached on a single to the left side to bring a run across the dish. A&M 9, Texas State 2.

 

T7 | Grahovac and Sorrell drew consecutive walks. Hacopian brought a run home with a double to left field. A&M 10, Texas State 2.

 

T8 | Harrison and Royo were issued back-to-back walks to begin the frame. Kiel moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Kellner laced a single through the left side to plate a run. Grahovac was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sorrell smashed a double to right field, bringing two runs across the plate. Hacopian followed suit with a double to left field, scoring two more runs. Sawyer Farr entered as a pinch-runner for Hacopian. Partida walked, and both runners advanced a base on a passed ball. Duer brought both runners home on the Aggies’ third double of the inning. A&M 17, Texas State 2.

 

GAME NOTES

• The Maroon & White advance to the regional finals for the 26th time in program history.
• The 17 runs and 20 hits by Texas A&M were the most in a regional contest since the 22-2 win over Wake Forest in the 2016 College Station Regional.
• Texas A&M notched 20 hits in a game for the first time this season.
• Moss recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts and tossed a career-long 7.1 innings.
• His 10 strikeouts were the most by an Aggie pitcher since Brigham Hill struck out 10 against Wake Forest in 2016.
• Every hitter in the starting lineup recorded a hit.
• Texas A&M smacked double-digit hits for the 27th time this season.
• The Maroon & White matched a season high with seven doubles.
• Duer’s six RBI marked a new career high.
• Harrison has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games.
• Kellner logged a career-best three hits.
• Grahovac matched a career-best with four runs scored.
• Hacopian matched a season-high with four RBI.
• Sorrell extended his hitting streak to nine games.
• Royo has hit safely in eight consecutive contests.
• With the win, the Aggies lead the all-time series over Texas State, 51-16.

QUOTES
Head Coach Michael Earley on Weston Moss’s performance…
[Weston Moss] did his job and was phenomenal, incredible performance. It was exactly what we needed. Also good because we plan on playing for a while. So good for him to go off something like that because he is going to throw again this season. So just really good job by him. I know we got a lot of runs, but he held them down and gave us a chance.
 
Weston Moss on receiving a standing ovation from the crowd…
“It was pretty cool. It reminded me of Auburn. I mean, it could have been my last game there, so it was a very special moment.”

Weston Moss on the momentum shift in the third inning…

“I felt great. It was a fun, cool environment, and it felt good outside, just a little bit humid. But that third inning was pretty huge. I feel like that was the turning point, to be honest. In that inning, I just felt dialed in, so I knew I was going to carry it the rest of the game. I knew they tagged me a little bit the first two innings, but solo home runs don’t kill you.”

Jake Duer on the offense breaking through…

“I feel like that’s our offense, we’ve been looking for that. To finally get that back shows we’re ready to go. Our mindset has just been to pass the baton, and I feel like we passed it tonight.”

 

UP NEXT

Texas A&M advances to the College Station Regional finals and will play Sunday night at 8 p.m. against the winner of USC and Texas State’s 3 p.m. matchup.

 

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