OMAHA, Neb. – Good pitching again shut down good hitting.
Ryan Prager pitched 6.2 hitless innings and Hayden Schott had a two-run single to spark a five-run sixth as No. 3 Texas A&M topped No. 2 Kentucky 5-1 on Monday evening in Game 8 of the 2024 College World Series.
The Wildcats (46-15) will face Florida on Tuesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. CT in an elimination game. The winner of that game will play the Aggies (51-14) on Wednesday, June 19, at 6 p.m. CT.
Prager (9-1) allowed two hits in 6.2 innings with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw 95 pitches on the evening.
“He had all three pitches going,” Schlossnagle said. “He filled up the strike zone enough where I think Kentucky started swinging more, got him some early outs in some situations where he could pitch deeper in the game.”
Prager missed the 2023 season due to injury.
“Super grateful to be back,” Prager said. “To be able to come back with this group of guys and do what we did, I think it was a testament to who this team is.”
A&M threatened by putting two on with one away in the top of the second but a fielder’s choice and a popout kept the Aggies off the scoreboard.
UK used an error and hit batsman to put first two on in second. A flyout to right moved the runner on second to third, but a strikeout left runners on the corners with two away. James McCoy laid down a bunt on the left side. Catcher Jackson Appel pounced on the ball and fired a strike to first to stop the threat.
The Aggies finally broke through in the top of the sixth. Jace LaViolette drew a leadoff walk and went to third on a double to right by Appel. Schott laced a shot through the left side that brought in LaViolette and Appel to give A&M a 2-0 edge.
Ted Burton walked and a one-out double by Ali Camarillo knocked in Schott to make it 3-0. Kaeden Kent singled to left center to drive in Burton and Camarillo as the advantage grew to 5-0.
Ryan Nicholson had UK’s first hit, a single with two away in the seventh. Nolan McCarthy followed with a double that moved Nicholson to third and ended the night for Prager.
Josh Stewart took over on the mound and fanned pinch-hitter Patrick Herrera to keep the Cats scoreless.
Nicholson launched a one-out homer in the bottom of the ninth as UK avoided the shutout. It was the 23rd of the season for Nicholson, tying the program record for home runs in a season with Jeff Abbott (1994), John Wilson (1999) and AJ Reed (2014).
Stewart got a groundout and a strikeout to secure the victory. He went the final 2.1 innings with two hits, one run, one walk and three strikeouts.
“Josh Stewart did an incredible job,” Schlossnagle said. “We got [Evan] Aschenbeck up. We didn’t have to pitch him, so that was big.”
Schott finished with three hits, one run and two RBI. Kent had two hits and two RBI. Burton had two hits, two walks and scored once.
Nicholson went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run.
“Give him a lot of credit,” UK head coach Nick Mingione said of Prager. “He kept us off balance. We has some opportunities and did not cash in.”
UK starting pitcher Mason Moore was active on defense with two putouts and two assists. He had a bare-handed grab of a bouncer in the first, was on the receiving end of a groundout to first, grabbed a bunt bare-handed and made the throw to first in the third and caught a popped-up bunt in the fifth. Moore held A&M scoreless over the first five innings before the five-run outburst in the sixth.
Notes
Texas A&M has started 2-0 in the College World Series for the first time in eight appearances.
The Aggies are the only remaining unbeaten team in the NCAA Tournament, starting 7-0. No team has finished undefeated in the NCAA Tournament since 2013, when UCLA went 10-0.
Jace LaViolette has reached base safely in 22 straight games.
This was the first meeting of the season for Kentucky and Texas A&M.
The home team won each of the first six games of the 2024 CWS, but the visiting team captured both games on Monday. Florida defeated NC State in the afternoon before A&M beat UK in the evening.