Texas A&M, Long Beach State, No. 1 national seed Oregon State and No. 7 Louisville won their openers in the NCAA baseball super regionals on Friday and moved within a victory of the College World Series.
The Aggies, who squandered a 6-0 lead against upstart Davidson, won 7-6 on George Janca's two-out bases-loaded single in the 15th inning.
Davidson (35-25), the surprise of the NCAA Tournament after advancing as a No. 4 regional seed, was down 6-0 after five innings in College Station, Texas. The Wildcats scored three times in the sixth and twice in the seventh before tying it in the top of the ninth on Cam Johnson's one-out base hit up the middle.
Both teams missed scoring chances in extra innings. Davidson messed up a squeeze play with runners on the corners and one out in the 13th, and the Aggies (40-21) were just 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position before Janca singled through the right side to end the longest Game 1 in a super regional.
"Really, we just need to go out and do the same thing tomorrow. We just need to try to get the bats going a little earlier. That's really it," Davidson's Cam Johnson said. "It was a good game, and it could have gone either way."
The Aggies play game two of their best-of-three series Saturday at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU - they clinch a spot in the College World Series with a win.
Friday's winners can clinch their best-of-three series on Saturday. Four other super regionals begin: Sam Houston State (44-21) at Florida State (43-21) at 11 a.m. CST on ESPN2; Mississippi State (40-25) at No. 4 LSU (46-17); Missouri State (43-18) at No. 6 TCU (45-16) at 5 p.m. CST on ESPNU; Wake Forest (42-18) at No. 3 Florida (45-17).
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GAME 1 MEANS A LOT
Since the current tournament format went into effect in 1999, 78.4 percent (113 of 144) of the teams that won Game 1s in super regionals have advanced to the College World Series.
YES, HE'S THE CLOSER
Texas A&M's Mitchell Kilkenny threw 102 pitches and struck out a career-high nine in 5 2/3 shutout innings. Oh, and he's the Aggies' regular closer. He came on at the start of the 10th inning and left after Max Bazin's bunt single in the 15th.
BEST CHANT
Texas A&M fans seemed to rattle Davidson reliever Allen Barry after he intentionally walked pinch hitter Jorge Gutierrez in the bottom of the 11th inning. As per Aggie tradition, fans started chanting "Ball five, ball five, ball five..." as Walker Pennington stepped into the batter's box. The chants continued as Barry threw balls six, seven and eight to walk Pennington and loaded the bases. Closer Westin Whitmire came on, and the chants resumed with ball nine and 10 before Janca took a strike at the knees. Janca struck out to end the threat.
