"It brings a smile to my face": Texas A&M star Kaeden Kent hyped up after Aggies clinch first win of 2024 College World Series final

Texas A&M second baseman Kaeden Kent hyped up the team's chemistry and friendship as the key for the No. 3 seed Aggies' surprise win over top seed Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. The Aggies won Game 1 of the 2024 College World Series final 9-5 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Nebraska.

Kent, who was 3 for 5 with four RBIs, emphasized the two qualities after Texas A&M built a seven-run lead and held off a spirited rally by the Volunteers in the seventh inning to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

"The chemistry and the friendship that we have, we love each other, man.... It brings a smile to my face and I’m sure it brings a smile to everybody else too," Kaeden Kent told NCAA reporter Michella Chester after the game.

The son of former MLB player Jeff Kent drilled a two-run home run at the top of the seventh, giving the Aggies a 9-2 lead. The lead was enough to hold off the Volunteers, who scored three at the bottom of the seventh to reduce the deficit to four, 9-5.

That was the last time Tennessee, who led the nation in home runs with 180, scored in the contest as Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle brought in lefty ace Evan Aschenbeck to close the game by getting the Volunteers' last eight outs.

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Gavin Grahovac, Kaeden Kent, Evan Ashenbeck preserve Aggies win over Volunteers

Texas A&M relief pitcher Evan Aschenbeck notched the final eight outs for the Aggies. He retired seven of them via strikeout. (Image Source: IMAGN)

Aggies rookie outfielder Gavin Grahovac opened the CWS final with a solo home run off Vols southpaw Chris Stamos' 0-2 fastball. It was the first leadoff homer in the CWS final since 2003 when Sam Fuld smacked a moonshot in Game 2 of the Stanford-Rice series.

Kaeden Kent made it a 7-1 game in the third inning with a single that drove Caden Sorrell and Ali Camarillo home. He returned in the seventh with a two-run homer that gave Texas A&M a 9-2 advantage.

However, the Volunteers would retaliate to cut the deficit to four, 9-5. This caused Schlossnagle to call up Aschenbeck and get the final eight outs. The Volunteers had no answers for the star reliever, who picked up seven of the eight outs via strikeout.

Game 2 of the Texas A&M-Tennesse College World Series final clash is on Sunday, 2 p.m. ET. ABC will broadcast the game on live television, while ESPN and Fubo will feature the clash via livestream.