"I got on and wanted to spark that flame for us": Vols' Christian Moore reflects on 2024 CWS final matchup
Christian Moore was fired up after the Tennessee Volunteers kept their hopes of winning their maiden College World Series alive with a crucial 4-1 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies in Game 2. While the junior only recorded a single hit in the game, his gesture in the top of the seventh became a talking point.
The Aggies' bullpen put constant pressure on the Volunteers' hitters, ensuring they went scoreless while keeping their 1-0 lead intact after six innings. In the top of the seventh, Moore led off the top seed and was walked by Kaiden Wilson. He immediately celebrated with a joyous fist bump towards the dugout, which motivated his teammates to make a comeback.
Following their resilient victory, Christian Moore believed he carried a responsibility as a lead-off hitter following their inability to score after six innings.
"Just want to get my guys up. You know, it was a long game for us there, six innings without scoring. And, you know, I got on and wanted to spark that flame for us you know, being the leadoff guy. I love it, man. It’s just part of the job."
SEC triple crown winner Christian Moore also highlighted the importance of trust, while detailing his role as one of the experienced players on the Volunteers' side.
"Being an older guy, and being a guy that people look up to, I got to slow down the game for everybody. So, it’s telling the guys, just lean on each other, something’s going to shake. Something’s going to shake. This offense is too good.
"We trust each other too much for us not to score runs. So really, just trusting your guys and good things can happen like today."
Christian Moore praises teammate Cal Stark's Game 2 heroics
Cal Stark endured a nightmare run in Omaha, failing to score a single hit. However, the senior broke his slump at the right time with a massive two-run home run in the top of the eighth, adding to Dylan Dreiling's two-run homer in the top of the seventh to secure their win in Game 2.
In the same interview, Christian Moore believed Stark's time would come in this game, detailing his reaction to the senior's homer after the game:
"I don’t know if you saw my reaction, but I just threw my hands up in the air. We literally talked about it and I was like, you’re O-fer? And he’s like yeah! And I was like, you got a bomb coming!
"Two at-bats later, he hits a homer. A guy like that, the catcher, he has to be your backbone, and he’s our backbone. He’s our guy that’s going to root for us day in, day out and we try to do the same for him."
The College World Series championship game between the Volunteers and the Aggies is currently ongoing. At the time of publishing, the top seed led the Aggies 6-3 in the eighth inning.