OMAHA, Neb. — After a late game rally from Tennessee, the Texas A&M Aggies lost game two of the College World Series in Omaha.
The Aggies held the Volunteers to just one run through the first six innings, but two two-run home runs in back-to-back innings kept Tennessee's championship hopes alive Sunday.
Now, the best-of-three series is headed to a final game where either the Aggies or Vols will win the first championship for their program.
Here's a recap of game two of the 2024 College World Series:
Texas A&M took the early lead at the bottom of the first weekend off a homerun from sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette, marking his 50th homer.
The second inning had Aggie fans holding their breaths as the Vols loaded the bases, but a ground out at second prevented Tennessee from scoring.
Tennessee loaded the bases again in the fourth, but a well-timed ground out by the Aggies' defense.
Through the first five innings, both the Aggies and Vols only had three hits each.
In the fifth inning, A&M's Chris Cortez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.
In the sixth inning, Texas A&M narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jam, for the third time, with a double-play.
At the top of the seventh, Vols sophomore Dylan Dreiling hit a two-run homerun deep into right field, giving Tennessee their first lead of the night.
That Tennessee lead was cemented into the eighth after the Vols redshirt junior, Aaron Combs pitched a 1-2-3 inning.
At the top of the eighth, the Vols did it again. Senior catcher Cal Stark homered in another two runs into left field for Tennessee.
Texas A&M had hope to tie the game up in the ninth with two runners on base, but ultimately fell short.
Now, the College World Series heads to a game three, where the winner takes all. That game will air Monday, June 24 on ESPN at 7 p.m.
Both teams are looking to win their first College World Series in program history. This year marks the first appearance for Texas A&M in the finals and the second appearance for Tennessee. The Volunteers only other appearance was in 1951.
Since 2014, only nine College World Series champions have been universities outside the Southeastern Conference: Oregon State, Coastal Carolina and Virginia.
Whether Tennessee or Texas A&M win, this year's champion will win the fifth straight title taken from a school in the SEC. The previous winners are LSU (2023), Ole Miss (2022), Mississippi State (2021) and Vanderbilt (2019).
