Final predictions for Game 3 between Texas A&M and Tennessee

The college baseball season comes down to a game on Monday night in Omaha.

The Texas A&M Aggies and Tennessee Volunteers split the first two games of the College World Series championship series on Saturday and Sunday.

A&M took an early lead in Game 1 and held on to it. Tennessee responded with its bats in Game 2.

Both teams will likely use an all-hands-on-deck pitching strategy on Monday. Both teams’ best starting pitchers have pitched over the past two days.

A combination of strong pitching and a big inning or two at the plate could carry any team across the finish line and claim the first national championship in program history.

Information about the third game of the College World Series

Date: Monday, June 24

Start: 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live stream: ESPN.com and ESPN app

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A&M and Tennessee have been battling it out in the SEC baseball prize war over the past two days in Omaha.

The Aggies struck first, scoring seven runs in the first three innings of Game 1. Since then, they have scored three runs in 15 innings.

Texas A&M scored the first run in Game 2, but that was the only play they managed on Sunday.

Tennessee took a while to get going, but they hit two home runs late in the second to restart their offense and force Game 3.

Tennessee’s offense has been one of the best in the country all season, but A&M’s pitching staff did a good job of neutralizing the Vols’ hitters.

The Vols were behind in the first game, so home run power didn’t have much of an impact on the final score because A&M already led by several runs.

In Game 2, hitting power made the difference for the Vols, but the home runs came from the bottom half of the batting order.

A&M did an excellent job of slowing down Christian Moore, Blake Burke and Billy Amick at the top of Tennessee’s lineup, who combined to score 7 of 25 goals in the series.

Tennessee will need to use one or more of those three batters in Game 3 to pull away from the Aggies.

Conversely, the key for anyone competing for A&M is to keep the Vols’ best hitters in check, neutralizing a third of their lineup.

A&M used a balanced offensive approach throughout the championship series, and although the team is not as known for its home runs as Tennessee, it recorded three home runs in the series.

A&M’s final home run came from Jace LaViolette, the best player in the lineup. Projected top-10 pick Braden Montgomery is out with a season-ending leg injury.

If LaViolette uses his Game 2 home run as a confidence boost, he could be the difference maker in an A&M lineup that has been better than Tennessee through two games.

The Vols’ powerful hitters could wake up at any time and turn the series in their favor, but based on how the first two games have gone, A&M has a slight advantage.

Prediction: Texas A&M 5, Tennessee 3.