Adams And White With Multi-Hit Games

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Sunday's matinee with No. 4 Texas A&M gave the Yale baseball team something to be proud of moving forward, as it took a lead into the seventh inning and flirted with a monumental upset before the Aggies rallied for a 10-2 victory.

Junior pitcher Chasen Ford (Lake Forest, Calif.) threw five brilliant innings in his first start of the season, but the Bulldogs' bullpen was unable to maintain the 2-1 advantage – surrendering nine runs in the seventh to one of the country's top teams.

"This may sound strange, but I'm more convinced than ever that we are going to be a good team," said head coach John Stuper. "We just faced the best hitting team I've seen in college baseball, but our starting pitchers all kept us in the game."

Sophomore catcher Alex Boos (Indianapolis, Ind.) had an infield RBI single for the Bulldogs in the second inning, plating senior Nate Adams (St. Louis, Mo.). Adams, along with junior slugger Harrison White (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), each had two hits in the loss.

Ford allowed just one earned run on five hits over his five-plus frames, recording two strikeouts and two walks in his outing. He stranded three Aggies base runners, including one in the fourth inning when he struck-out the final two batters to end the frame.

"Chasen was excellent today. He probably averaged 93 miles per hour, while hitting 96 a few times," said Stuper. "You can't stretch them out too far this early in the season though."

Freshman Kumar Nambiar (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) made his second appearance of the weekend in relief of Ford. With two runners on and no outs in the sixth, Nambiar worked out of trouble to keep Yale in front, 2-1.

In the seventh, the Aggies took the lead on a two-run home run by Ryne Birk off Nambiar, who was 4-for-4 with three RBI on the day. A&M then scored seven earned runs off Griffin Dey (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) and Benny Wanger (Waban, Mass.) to complete the nine-run inning.

"We need to figure out our bullpen, and when we do, we could be really good," said Stuper. Yale relief pitchers allowed 24 earned runs in 9.2 innings against the Aggies this weekend.

Prior to the seventh inning, the Elis had the Aggies on their heels after taking a 2-1 lead in the fourth. With runners on first and third, the Bulldogs used some trickery with a double-steal, a sequence that plated Richard Slenker (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) from third for the game-leading run.

A&M starting pitcher Kyle Simonds lasted just four innings after allowing two runs – one earned – on four hits, while striking out seven. Aggie relief pitchers let up just three hits over the next five innings, keeping the Elis scoreless.

A leadoff single by Adams in the second inning eventually led to Yale taking a 1-0 advantage, its first lead of the series. Adams reached second on a wild pitch and to third on a throwing error by A&M. Boos' RBI single came shortly after, his first RBI of the season.

Ford, meanwhile, kept the A&M hitters in check with the help of some great defense. Stuper praised the left side of his infield after the game for its outstanding defensive play this weekend.

"Tom O'Neill (shortstop) put on an absolute clinic defensively this weekend," said Stuper. "He made all the routine plays, plus three or four SportsCenter plays. It was a weekend a big league shortstop would have been proud of. Slenker at third also had a great series defensively."

This will be remembered as a very special weekend for the Yale baseball program, despite the outcomes of the games. Playing one of the nation's best teams in front of thousands, while getting the chance to meet a former U.S. President is quite a way to start the 2016 season.

The Bulldogs come back north and return to action on Tuesday to play in-state rival UConn up in Storrs, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The game can be followed on live stats or listened to on WHUS 91.7 FM.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity