Texas A&M Faces Elimination After USC Rout

Texas A&M baseball still has a pulse, but USC made sure the Aggies felt every bit of Sunday night’s damage.

The Aggies were blasted 14-3 by the Trojans at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, turning the College Station Regional into a winner-take-all showdown Monday night.

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First pitch is scheduled for 8:06 p.m. CT on ESPN2, with the season on the line for Michael Earley’s club.

Texas A&M actually struck first. Chris Hacopian opened the scoring with a first-inning solo home run ripped 110 mph down the left-field line.

For about five minutes, it felt like the Aggies might carry Saturday’s momentum into another regional win.

Then USC punched back. Hard.

The Trojans answered with four runs in the bottom of the first and never really let the game breathe again.

Ethan Darden lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs on four hits and a walk.

By the time Andrew Lamb launched a three-run homer in the third, USC had control. A two-run shot from Augie Lopez in the fourth stretched the lead to 9-1.

Gavin Grahovac tried to spark something for Texas A&M in the fifth with a massive 446-foot solo homer to left. It was his 22nd of the season and 47th of his career, tying John Byington for fourth in program history.

Grahovac has now homered in all three games of the regional and finished 2-for-4 for his team-leading 26th multi-hit game.

Jake Duer added a bright spot, going 2-for-4 with an RBI triple in the eighth, but the Aggies couldn’t turn scattered damage into a real rally.

USC kept piling on late, scoring twice in the seventh and three more times in the eighth to slam the door.

Texas A&M’s bullpen combined for five strikeouts over the final four innings, but the Trojans kept finding grass, gaps and mistakes.

Now, there’s no mystery left. Win Monday, and the Aggies advance. Lose, and a promising season ends at home.

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Earley said afterward he was ready to flush the loss quickly, and that’s exactly what Texas A&M has to do. This one was ugly. Monday has to be different.

Grahovac put it plainly ... the season is on the line. 

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