Stay Alive: Texas Baseball Facing Elimination Again in College World Series

After staving off elimination, the No. 6 Texas Longhorns find themselves preparing for a rematch against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs.

Texas Longhorns infielder Ethan Mendoza at second base after a double against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Men's College World Series. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Following their loss to the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday evening, the No. 6 Texas Longhorns found themselves with their backs against the wall. One more loss and they'd be sent packing from Omaha after a short, disappointing stint.

To avoid that fate, they found themselves facing the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide in an elimination game on Monday evening. It didn't take long for them to dispel any notion that they would be returning to Austin after just two games.

Jumping on the Crimson Tide early, Texas found itself ahead 3-0 after the first inning and 7-1 after the second. Adrian Rodriguez led the way in stellar fashion, tying the Men's College World Series single-game record with a career-high seven RBI while logging just the third cycle in the competition's illustrious history.

Texas easily dispatched Alabama on Monday evening

Texas Longhorns outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. celebrates a home run against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Men's College World Series. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Also having a phenomenal day offensively, Anthony Pack Jr. recorded four RBI. As for the pitching, veteran Ruger Riojas delivered a gutsy performance with six innings of two-run baseball with seven strikeouts, setting the foundation for what would be a dominant 14-2 win for the Longhorns.

This win kept them in Omaha for at least one more day, setting up a rematch with the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday evenining.

How can Texas avoid elimination once again?

It goes without saying, but the Longhorns absolutely cannot afford a repeat of their first inning from the opening loss to the Bulldogs. Finding itself down 4-0 early, Texas just did not have the juice necessary to come back in what would eventually be an ugly 7-1 loss.

Seemingly nothing went right, with three errors and a combined 15 strikeouts as a team dooming Texas. The top of the lineup especially struggled, going a combined 0-for-15 and recording 11 of those strikeouts.

As a result, the lineup was shaken up and led to 14 runs on 13 hits against the Crimson Tide. Getting that version of the Longhorns lineup again on Tuesday would go a long way toward further extending their time in the College World Series.

On the mound, veteran left-hander Luke Harrison will be tasked with slowing down the Georgia lineup. It's been proven to be doable, with the Bulldogs coming into this one having been held to just three runs against the Sooners on Monday.

If the southpaw can give Texas five or six strong innings while letting the offense produce and then hand the ball to a fairly well-rested bullpen, there's a good chance this game could go much differently than Saturday's contest.

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