Tennessee vs. Texas A&M score and live updates: College World Series Game 3 lineups and latest news
How Tennessee bounced back in Game 2
OMAHA, Neb. — The college baseball season has come down to one game.
Tennessee evened the best-of-three Men’s College World Series championship series with a 4-1 victory against Texas A&M on Sunday at Charles Schwab Field.
The Southeastern Conference foes will play a winner-take-all game on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
Dylan Dreiling on Sunday slammed a two-out, two-run home run over the right-field bullpen in the top of the seventh inning to end the Volunteers’ drought with runners on base against the Aggies’ pitching.
His 22nd home run of the season, against little-used freshman reliever Kaiden Wilson, put Tennessee on top for the first time in the championship series after A&M’s Jace LaViolette hit his 29th home run of the season in the first inning.
Cal Stark added a two-run shot, his 11th, that cleared the left-field bullpen to provide breathing room for the Vols in the eighth inning.
A crowd of 25,987 braved steamy conditions — forecasted to rise above 100 degrees on Monday in Omaha — for another marathon of longer than three hours as these programs battled to win their first national championships in baseball. A&M seeks its first championship in a major men’s team sport since it claimed a football title in 1939.
GO FURTHER
Tennessee bounces back to force Game 3 of Men’s College World Series vs. Texas A&M
Vols win it all!
Tennessee has done it. The Volunteers have won their first national championship in baseball, defeating Texas A&M 6-5 in the decisive third game of the College World Series finale.
Reliever Aaron Combs worked around a pair of hits that produced one run in the top of the ninth inning and a wild pitch that plated another. But Combs struck out Jace LaViolette, Hayden Schott and Ted Burton. Combs, a junior right-hander, screamed with each strikeout — loudest on the final out as the Volunteers, under seventh-year coach Tony Vitello, dogpiled on the infield.
Advertisement
Aggies showing some fight
Just when things were cruising along for the Vols ... Tony Vitello pulled a bit of a surprise with freshman Dylan Loy in relief of Nate Snead after Snead gave up an RBI single to start the eighth. It did not work. Loy gave up a single and double and threw two wild pitches, and it's Kirby Connell in for the Vols, with the lead at 6-3, a runner at second and one out.
Vols in command
Evan Aschenbeck was in good shape for the Aggies in the bottom of the seventh, getting Christian Moore and Blake Burke to fly out. But then Billy Amick ripped a single. Then Dylan Dreiling took a hanging breaking ball just over the fence in right to make it 5-1 Vols. Dreiling has been the best hitter in Omaha, coming up at the biggest times. Hunter Ensley got a single, Kavares Tears launched a double, Ensley scored on a dazzling slide at home — confirmed safe on review — and it looks like the Tennessee lineup is finally breaking the Aggies.
Advertisement
Aggies turn to Ashenbeck
Evan Aschenbeck has entered the game for Texas A&M in the bottom of the sixth inning. Coach Jim Schlossnagle is not messing around. Aschenbeck fanned seven Tennessee hitters in closing Game 1 of these CWS finals over 2 2/3 innings. He was named the Stopper of the Year last week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Sechrist continues to deal
Zander Sechrist is at 79 pitches through five more excellent innings, and the Aggies have had few good strings and fewer hard-hit balls. But Tony Vitello does have Nate Snead getting ready in case the third time through the Texas A&M lineup proves problematic at all. At this point, Sechrist appears to be in total command, continuing the senior's late-career transformation from midweek starter/middle reliever to staff ace.
Short night for Lamkin
Final line for Texas A&M starting pitcher Justin Lamkin: 2.2 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 3 earned runs. Lamkin went 60 pitches and faced 15 batters but had to exit after the Vols jumped on him in the bottom of the third. Josh Stewart just pitched on Saturday night, so we'll see how long Schlossnagle is willing to ride with him.
Advertisement
Vols up 2 despite some early miscues
The Vols are not playing a clean game, in the field or on the basepaths, but they lead 3-1 and have knocked Texas A&M starter Justin Lamkin from the game. Dean Curley greeted reliever Josh Stewart with a line single to left, scoring Hunter Ensley, but Curley was easily caught trying to stretch it to a double. Kavares Tears should have taken off for home and Curley should have forced the Aggies to chase him down going back to first, and the Vols might have squeezed another run out of it.
Vols back on top
Zander Sechrist got out of a jam in the third with a 4-3 double play, giving up just the one run, unearned, and then his teammates quickly gave him the lead back. Blake Burke's double to center appeared to be lost for a moment in the sun by center fielder Travis Chestnut, and Burke eventually came home on a deep Dylan Dreiling fly to center.
Aggies punch back
First scoring opportunity of the night for Texas A&M has produced a run to even this winner-take-all final at the CWS, 1-1. Travis Chestnut laid down a bunt with one out. A wild throw into right field put Chestnut on second base. He stole third and scored on Gavin Grahovac's sharp single into left field against Tennessee starting pitcher Zander Sechrist.
Aggies arms
Texas A&M already had reliever Josh Stewart warming up in the bullpen with two outs in the bottom of the first. Starter Justin Lamkin threw 23 pitches in the first inning and got out of a jam after giving up the solo homer and putting two runners on base. But it's the last game of the season and Jim Schlossnagle is going to use almost every arm he's got if needed. Stewart threw 56 pitches in 2.1 innings on Saturday night.
Advertisement
Nice start for the Vols
Early returns are encouraging for Tennessee on their most important players in this game. Zander Sechrist, who is pitching as well as anyone on the roster in the past month, set them down in order in the top of the first. UT hitting star Christian Moore lined a home run to left to start the bottom of the first.
Underway in Omaha
We're about to get underway at the College World Series as Texas A&M and Tennessee duke it out for the national championship. The official weather from Charles Schwab Stadium in downtown Omaha: 98 degrees, wind from the south and southwest (blowing in front right field) at 15 mph, gusting to 26.
Basically, it's hot and windy.
Tennessee rolls with the black jerseys for Game 3.