Sunday afternoon A&M faced a possible end to their season, as they played in an elimination game in the College Station Regional. After dropping a heart breaking 2-1 decision to California, A&M responded with a huge win, an 8-1 shellacking of Coastal Carolina to keep the season alive.
“I’m certainly proud of our guys to be able to shake off last night’s heartbreaking loss, to have a quick turn around, and be ready to go,” said A&M head coach Rob Childress. “[Vinson] gave us another heroic performance on the mound, and he’s had a lot of them in his career at A&M, but none bigger than this one…all in all, I was very proud of the way we played today when we needed it the most.”
A&M was the first to get on the board. Thanks to the hot bat of Logan Taylor and an RBI double by Nick Banks, the Aggies gained a quick 2-0 lead after one inning.
Banks was not finished. After having a go-ahead home run robbed from him on an 0-for-6 Saturday night, he hit a no-doubt solo bomb to right center field to help the Aggies to a 3-0 lead after four frames of play. Banks went 3-for-3 on Sunday with two RBI.
“I was just more bummed we lost [last night],” said Banks. “I did not get a lot of sleep last night. It was a quick turn over this morning. Baseball is a humbling sport, so I was just ready to rebound today. I could not wait to get back to the field.”
Andrew Vinson was a machine on the hill for A&M. In an elimination game, and one of his best outings of the year, he did not allow a hit until the fifth inning of play. Overall, he completed 7 2/3 innings of work, scattering only five hits, while allowing x runs. Vinson also tallied eight strikeouts during the afternoon, throwing 110 pitches total. He left to a standing ovation and thunderous roar from those in attendance at Olsen Field.
“What makes him special is his competitive spirit,” said Childress about his starter Vinson. “He has no fear.” Childress also jokingly added, “I’m scared to go get the ball from him and take him out, I’m afraid he’s going to punch me.”
Logan Nottebrok joined the party with his own home run. The senior crushed a two run monster off the scoreboard in left field to give A&M a 5-0 lead after six innings. He was 2-for-5 on the day with two RBI.
Coastal Carolina was plagued by errors, committing three during the afternoon. They also hit 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and just 1-for-13 with runners on base. A&M also out hit the Chanticleers 13 to 5. The loss means Coastal Carolina is eliminated from the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
For A&M, the win moves them back into the winners’ bracket of the regional. They will take on California on Sunday evening. If California wins, they advance to the Super Regionals. If A&M wins, the two will play a deciding winner-take-all game on Monday afternoon. First pitch will take place at 6 pm.
