Texas A&M shellacks Tennessee baseball in Game 1 of College World Series Finals

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello walks on the field during a NCAA College World Series game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello walks on the field during a NCAA College World Series game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 22, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA
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Tennessee baseball fell to a 1-0 series deficit in the College World Series Finals after falling to Texas A&M 9-5 in Game 1 of the three-game series in Omaha. The Vols' pitching was no match for the A&M bats, which struggled prior to the championship series. 

The Vols were the designated home team, so we got to see Chris Stamos start the game on the mound. He only recorded one out for the second straight appearance, but the end result did not favor the Vols like it did against Florida State. 

A&M jumped to a two-run lead and scored five more runs in the third. Tony Vitello stuck with AJ Causey through the end of the third inning after giving up five but then brought Kirby Connell and Marcus Phillips in to get the Vols through the fifth inning. 

The Aggies were able to add two more runs to their total in the seventh and the Vols responded in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a two-run home run from Dylan Dreiling and a solo shot from Hunter Ensley. That was Tennessee's first sign of life since the third inning.

The pitching wasn't great, but Tennessee's defense didn't help. Even when the Vols' pitching put the ball where it needed to be, A&M either found the hole in the defense or struggled to make the play to get an out or prevent a run. 

In addition to A&M's 11 hits, the Vols also committed three errors on defense, which have been the biggest issue throughout Tennessee's postseason run. 

Tennessee bats also struggled to get anything going at the plate. The Aggies pitched their ace, Ryan Prager, who was virtually unhittable against most of Tennessee's lineup, including two of the Vols' top three hitters. 

While it's never ideal to lose the first game of a three-game series, the Vols still have a great chance to win if they can eliminate some of the errors in the field and at the plate. 

Over the past ten College World Series Finals, winners have split Game One, and five of the last ten College World Series Champions have lost Game One. That doesn't directly favor Tennessee; the Vols aren't out of this series yet. 

Tennessee will have to discard everything that went wrong in Game One and refocus for Game Two. The Vols and Aggies will begin Game Two at 2:00 PM ET, with the Vols' season on the line.