AUSTIN, Texas — Timely hitting was the difference for Texas in Sunday’s 6-5 win over Oregon, which clinched a two-game sweep of the Austin Super Regional and secured the program’s NCAA-record 39th all-time trip to the College World Series.
Will Sanford battled to keep the Ducks in the game through 3.2 innings and when Tanner Bradley’s 3.1-inning, 65-pitch scoreless gem out of the bullpen (one hit, one walk, two hit batters and five strikeouts) ended, the Longhorns’ 4-0 lead after the top of the second was gone. Facing a 5-4 deficit entering the eighth inning, Texas (45-13) loaded the bases with two outs after Oregon (43-18) closer Devin Bell walked Carson Tinney, hit Anthony Pack Jr. in the foot with a 1-1 pitch and saw Temo Becerra reach base on an infield single.
That’s when the Longhorns got the timely hit they needed to take back the lead for good.
In a 3-1 count, Adrian Rodriguez (2-for-5) slashed a two-run double down the left-field line and into the corner. Rodriguez’s team-leading 11th hit of the NCAA Tournament got by the outstretched glove of third baseman Drew Smith and brought Tinney and Pack home for the tying and go-ahead runs, respectively.
In its two wins over the Ducks, Texas went 7-for-23 at the plate with two outs and 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Oregon, on the other hand, was 2-for-24 in the Austin Super Regional with runners in scoring position, stranding 24 runners and striking out 28 times.
The eighth-inning decisive blow by Rodriguez, who went 2-for-3 with five RBI and one run scored in Saturday’s 11-3 victory over the Ducks, was the only bases-loaded hit of the Austin Super Regional (the Longhorns were 1-for-5 and Oregon was 0-for-6 with the bases juiced).
With the lead, Sam Cozart retired each of the nine Oregon batters he faced, striking out four en route to his ninth save of the season. The Longhorns got 5.2 gutsy innings from Ruger Riojas (six hits, four earned runs, one hit batter, four walks and seven strikeouts) before turning it over to the bullpen, which needed Thomas Burns to toe the rubber in the bottom of the seventh for three consecutive outs (including two strikeouts) after the go-ahead run reached third base with no outs against Brody Walls.
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