Another team is sent home from Omaha as the tournament enters a crucial day today where two more teams will head home and the field will be down to four.
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Texas Eliminates Alabama Behind Rodriguez’s Cycle
The Longhorns jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Ethan Mendoza doubled home a run, and Adrian Rodriguez doubled him two more. Alabama got a run back as Luke Vaughn singled home a run. Anthony Pack Jr. singled home a run in the second. Mendoza singled home another to make it 5-1. Rodriguez then doubled home two more runs. John Lemm hit a solo home run in the fourth for Alabama to make it 7-2. Pack Jr and Rodriguez each hit two-run home runs in the sixth to extend the Texas lead to 11-2. Rodriguez’s home run was the missing piece he needed to complete the cycle. In the eighth, Pack Jr. singled home a run, then Blake Peterson brought a run home on a groundout, and finally, who else but Rodriguez would double home Pack Jr to make it 14-2, which was the final.
Rodriguez finished the day going 5-5 with seven RBI. Pack Jr. went 3-5 with four RBI, and Mendoza went 3-4 with two RBI.
Ruger Rojas got the start, going six innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out seven. The Texas bullpen combined to go three scoreless innings, allowing one base-runner and striking out four. Zane Adams got the start for Alabama, lasting only 1.2 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two.
Oklahoma Upsets Georgia
The Sooners opened the scoring in the first as Deiten Lachance brought home a run on a groundout. Jaxon Willits hit a two-run home run to make it 3-0 Oklahoma. The Bulldogs got on the board at the top of the fourth as Kenny Ishikawa hit a solo home run. Brendan Brock would hit a solo home run for Oklahoma to make it 4-1. The Bulldogs got another run back as Brennan Hudson hit a solo home run. Georgia made it a one-run game as Daniel Jackson hit a solo home run to make it 4-3. The Bulldogs got the tying run on to start the ninth, and that run would move to second on a hit-by-pitch. The Bulldogs were unable to bring that run home despite their two best hitters coming to the plate.
Xander Mercurius went 7.1 innings for the Sooners, allowing three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out nine. Jackson Cleveland shut the door, going 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out two. Caden Aoki got the whole game for Georgia, going eight innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out six.
Tuesday’s Schedule
Elimination Game: West Virginia vs. Troy at 2:00 PM EST (ESPN)
Elimination Game: Georgia vs. Texas at 8:00 PM EST (ESPN)
