COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Dayton Flyers battled in their first-ever NCAA baseball postseason game, but Texas A&M showed why it is the eighth-ranked team in the country by downing UD 4-1.
The game got off to a rough start for Dayton. The Flyers went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, while the first three A&M at-bats resulted in three hits and one run. But UD starter Michael Hauschild got out of the jam to trail 1-0 after one.
The Flyers stranded two runners on in the second, third and fourth innings. Meanwhile, the Aggies added a run in the third on a bases-loaded walk and another run in the fourth on three straight singles to right. Hauschild retired eight of nine batters heading into the seventh, but A&M added an unearned run in the seventh when UD committed its only two errors of the game.
Texas A&M starter Michael Wacha retired 10 of the last 11 hitters he faced into the eighth, when he was replaced by lefty Estevan Uriegas. UD senior rightfielder C.J. Gillman doubled down the left field line. Freshman first baseman A.J. Ryan hit a ball up the middle that got away from A&M second baseman Scott Arthur’s backhand side and Gillman never slowed down, sliding head-first into catcher Troy Stein attempted block of the plate to score.
Kyle Martin came in with two outs in the eighth and retired the last four Flyer hitters to earn his seventh save of the year. Dayton came into the tournament the top team in Division I baseball in stolen bases (162, 2.7 per game) but the Aggie pitchers controlled the UD running game by scattering six hits amongst six different hitters and not allowing Dayton to gets a leadoff man on all game.
Wacha improved to 9-1 in 2012 by going 7.1 innings, and allowing five hits and three walks while striking out nine.
The A&M offense came from the top of the order. Seven of the nine hits came from the 1, 2 and 3-hole hitters. First baseman Jacob House had hits in his first three at bats and went three-for-five from the third spot. Right fielder Tyler Naquin and third baseman Matt Juengel both added two.
Brian Blasik, Ian Hundley, Gillman, Zach Stewart, Jared Broughton and Robby Sunderman accounted for the Dayton offense. Broughton reached base three times with two walks and Blasik had the only Flyer stolen base.
Hauschild went seven innings in taking the loss, stranding 11 base runners during a nine-hit, four-walk, five-strikeout effort. He fell to 7-3 on the season. Burny Mitchem pitched a 1-2-3 final inning for the Flyers, striking out two.
Texas A&M is now 43-16 on the year while Dayton is now 31-29.
UD will face the College Station No. 2 seed, TCU in an elimination game Saturday at 1:35 p.m. ET.
