Amegy Bank College Baseball Series: Day 2 Recap

Arlington, TX – The third and final weekend of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field kicked off yesterday and had no shortage of action. Featuring four top-25 teams including the #1 team in the country in the UCLA Bruins. We kicked off into day two and got potentially the biggest matchup of the weekend in #20 Texas A&M and #1 UCLA.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better grouping of teams in one place, and at a better location as Globe Life continues to be my favorite spot to watch college baseball.

Teams:

• Arizona State Sun Devils
• #5 Mississippi State Bulldogs
• #16 Tennessee Volunteers
• #20 Texas A&M Aggies
• Virginia Tech Hokies
• #1 UCLA Bruins

Game 4: #16 Tennessee Volunteers v Arizona State Sun Devils

Tennessee and Arizona State both looked to bounce back after suffering losses on day one as Colin Linder and Landon Mack would receive the starts. Both teams exhausted a lot of bullpen resources and would need some length out of their starters to have a shot against high-powered offenses.

Mack entered the day for the Volunteers 1-1 despite allowing just two earned runs over 12 ⅔ innings and has racked up 20 strikeouts to four walks. For the Sun Devils, Linder has struggled with command at points but entered with a 2.08 ERA.

Mack surrendered two hits in the first but an inning-ending double play stymied any potential for a Sun Devil rally. The Volunteers would strike first with three consecutive hits with the damage coming from a Chris Newstrom two-RBI double, who has taken the spotlight all weekend for Tennessee.

Add on a pair of seeing-eye singles and the Vols found themselves tacking on a crooked number and the Sun Devils scrambled to work out of a jam and get the bullpen hot to stop the bleeding.  

ASU would threaten in the third featuring a Landon Hairston double but Landon Mack would notch back-to-back strikeouts to strand a pair of Sun Devils in scoring position to fire up the Vols faithful.

The breakthrough would finally come in the fourth on back-to-back doubles from Dominic Longo and Dean Toigo to cut the lead to three. Followed by an Austen Roellig RBI single to drive in Toigo as they pushed Mack’s pitch count into the 70’s. 

Alex Overbay took over the pitching duties for Linder in the fifth and was spectacular, providing quality length and uncomfortable at bats, really giving the Sun Devils a shot to come back.

Mack’s day came to a close in the sixth as side-armer Brady Fredrick took the ball trying to preserve a two run Tennessee lead. ASU would push one more across in the 7th as PJ Moutzouridis would bring Landon Hairston home on a sac-fly to make it a 4-3 game.

“I just don’t think he gave in at all, he did a really good job holding runners and attacking the strike zone, (Landon) threw some really good curveballs to lefties and used 3-2 offspeed pitches and when he had to throw heaters by guys he was able to do that today,” Tennessee Head Coach Josh Elander said on Mack’s performance.

ASU would threaten yet again in the 8th getting two runners on and one out as true freshman and highly-touted prep prospect from the 2025 MLB Draft Cam Appenzeller for Tennessee looked to hold the game where it was clinging to a one run lead. A strikeout of Dominic Smaldino and a fly out shut down the threat moving to the ninth as the Vols hunted a much needed insurance run.

Levi Clark would take advantage of the wild pitch post Blaine Brown double with a sacrifice fly that increased the Tennessee lead to 5-3 with three outs to get. Appenzeller would steal the show, throwing two scoreless innings in relief, striking out three notching his first collegiate save.

Game Notes:

• Landon Mack (TENN): 5 IP, 5 K, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB
• Colin Linder (ASU): 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 K, 3 BB
• Alex Overbay (ASU): 3 IP, 6 K, 2 H, 0 ER
• Chris Newstrom (TENN): 2-4, 2B, RBI
• Henry Ford (TENN): 2-5, RBI
• Dean Toigo (ASU): 3-4, 2B, RBI
• Landon Hairston (ASU): 2-3, 2B, BB

Game 5: Virginia Tech v #5 Mississippi State

After a really impressive showing yesterday out of #5 Mississippi State taking on unranked Virginia Tech who looked to bounce back after a run-rule loss to Texas A&M yesterday.

Griffin Stieg came into the game having allowed five earned runs through nine innings of work while Tomas Valincius came in at 2-0 having not allowed an earned run in two starts and 11 ⅓ innings along with 13 strikeouts to three walks.

The scoring started right away for Mississippi State as Reed Stallman drove in one on an RBI single, getting the start today along with Gehrig Frei after coming up huge as pinch-hitters yesterday. 

Mississippi State’s offense stayed relentless tacking on a crooked number in the second behind an Aidan Teel double and two-run home run from Ace Reese that came off the bat at 112mph as the Bulldogs took a convincing 4-0 lead early. That would be the end of Stieg’s day providing two innings of work allowing four earned.

“We’re gonna be aggressive on the bases, Bryce Chance had that hustle double that allowed Aidan Teel to drive him in and then Ace Reese took a 3-2 pitch and hit it out of the ballpark,” Head Coach Brian O’Connor said on the hot start to the Bulldogs offense.

Virginia Tech would get one back in the third, charging Valincius with his first earned run of the season, cutting the game to 4-1 in favor of Mississippi State. Valincius was fully in control of this one from the jump, striking out five over the first three innings of work. 

Mississippi State capitalized on more free bases surrendered by the Hokies bullpen extending their lead to 5-1 in the fifth thanks to a bases loaded hit-by-pitch. Tomas Vallincius would see his first sign of trouble in the fifth as the bases were loaded for Virginia Tech looking to crawl back into the game but Valincius would shut down the threat with a 6-4-3 double play with no runs scored as the Bulldog faithful would erupt.

The Hokies got one back in the sixth with a 448 foot solo home run from Ethan Ball to cut the Bulldog lead to three and end Tomas Valincius’ day at five ⅓ innings of work where he was fantastic, setting up Mississippi State for another win in Globe Life.

Offensively, the onslaught continued for the Bulldogs as they yet again, blew another game open late with a big crooked number in the seventh capitalizing on more mistakes from the Hokies until Aidan Teel laced another RBI base hit to make it 9-2 as Virginia Tech was still hunting their first out of the inning escaping after the Bulldogs tacked on five to make it a 10-2 game.

On the verge of putting the game away via the ten-run rule, until Aimon Chandler belted a three run bomb to cut the lead to 13-5, the final would end 15-8 after Virginia Tech hit three consecutive runs in the ninth but Mississippi State remained unbeaten in Arlington.

The Bulldogs offense really showed out in this one totalling 15+ batted balls over 100mph, even the outs were loud and they continue to look every bit of a national seed team. 

O’Connor discussed the depth of his team and how impressed he’s been with the number of great at-bats given from pinch hitters; “We’re trying to look at a number of guys pitching-wise and offensively, and I thought Jacob Parker really stepped up and put a charge into that ball. There’s a lesson in all of this, if you’re a starter or every day player, you better not give any at-bats away, because there’s guys breathing down your neck who want to play more.” 

Game Notes:

• Griffin Stieg (VT): 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Tomas Valincius (MSST): 5.1 IP, 7 K, 4 H, 2 ER
• Hudson Lutterman (VT): 2-3, 3B, RBI
• Aidan Teel (MSST): 2-5, 3 RBI
• Ace Reese (MSST) 2-5, 3 RBI, HR

Game 6: #20 Texas A&M Aggies v #1 UCLA Bruins

We finished off day two with the most anticipated matchup of the weekend between #20 Texas A&M and #1 UCLA. Chris Hacopian, as expected did not play after tweaking his back in his second at bat in yesterday’s game, Head Coach Michael Earley is hopeful in his recovery but remains day-to-day as he gets back to 100%.

We got fireworks early on as Payton Brennan made a spectacular grab in right field and would double off Caden Sorrell at first to end the Aggies threat. UCLA would respond in the first with four hits including a 112mph single from Mulivai Levu bringing one followed by a two-RBI double from Cashel Dugger as the Bruins walked away with a four-spot in the first.

Texas A&M immediately responded with a leadoff home run from Jake Duer to make it a 4-1 game in the second. UCLA got right back on the horse in the second, moving runners into scoring position on a Dean West sac-bunt, setting the table for the middle of the order. An intentional walk of Mulivai Levu loaded the bases for a 2-RBI single from Roman Martin to extend the Bruins lead to 6-1.

John Savage’s club did their job chasing Weston Moss after just two innings of work tagging him for six runs nearly getting through the lineup twice. Michael Barnett cruised through the early portion of this game allowing just one hit through four innings striking out four.

The Texas A&M Bullpen was able to hold down the Bruins explosive offense getting a spectacular outing out of Gavin Lyons 

UCLA added one more in the fifth on a Dominic Cadiz double and Dean West RBI-single with two outs as the Bruins held a 7-1 lead. Michael Barnett’s night would end after five innings of brilliant baseball allowing just one run on one hit, totalling only two pitches above 90mph.

Wylan Moss took over for the Bruins looking to hold a cushioned lead as the Aggies got just their second hit of the game in the sixth, stymied by a 6-4-3 double play started by Roch Cholowsky, flashing the leather all night long.

Payton Brennan stayed on a tear driving in his second run of the game with a 105mph screamer down the right field line to further the gap between the Bruins and Aggies. Who else but Will Gasparino launching his Nation-Leading ninth home run into the Arlington night 112mph off the bat traveling a monstrous 427 feet, enough to put the Bruins up by 10 heading into the seventh looking to slam the door and run-rule the Aggies.

A convincing team for the #1 team in the country dominating the Aggies tape-to-tape surrendering two hits.

UCLA starting pitcher Michael Barnett expressed how important the Bruins defense has been this season and the confidence it gives their pitching staff, “The nine-on-one is so true for this team, every one of our guys are a plus-defender and gives all our pitchers the freedom to attack the zone and be ourselves”

Game Notes:

• Weston Moss (TAM): 2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 K
• Michael Barnett (UCLA): 5 IP, 4 K, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB
• Jake Duer (TAM): 1-2, RBI
• Mulivai Levu (UCLA): 2-3, 2 RBI 
• Roman Martin (UCLA): 2-2, 2 RBI, 2B
• Will Gasparino (UCLA): 2-4, HR, 3 RBI