Longhorns Kick Off Coral Gables Regional With 4-2 Win Over Ragin' Cajuns
The Texas Longhorns (39-20) did not enter the NCAA Tournament with an ounce of momentum in their favor. Rather they came in scuffling, having lost two straight games to be eliminated in the Big 12 Tournament after clinching a share of the regular season title.
Their disappointing showing in the Big 12 Tournament squashed any hopes they had of hosting, instead sending them out east as the No. 2 seed in the Coral Gables Regional.
However, when the lights were bright in their regional opener against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (40-23), the Longhorns looked like the team that swept West Virginia to end the season.
Lucas Gordon was once again his usual lights out self on the mound, making light work of a strong Ragin' Cajuns lineup. He tossed seven innings of one-run baseball, scattering five hits and racking up eight strikeouts.
At the plate, though, the Longhorns were ice cold until the sixth inning. Trailing 1-0 entering the home half of the inning, they went to work. First, Mitchell Daly launched a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1, which was eventually followed by a two out Porter Brown RBI single to give Texas the lead.
Texas added a pair of crucial insurance runs in the seventh inning on a two out, two-run double off the bat of Dylan Campbell to give them a 4-1 lead - his second hit of the game after extending his hitting streak to a Big 12 record 36 games with a single in the sixth.
In relief the Longhorns got two stellar innings out of Zane Morehouse, who allowed only one run on just two hits to record the save and clinch the 4-2 win to advance to the winner's bracket.
Of course, we would be remiss not to mention the superb defense that was displayed in the Texas outfield. Eric Kennedy made arguably the play of the game, robbing a three-run home run to end the fourth and keep the game scoreless. Then, Campbell went and possibly topped it with an over the shoulder, Superman-esque diving catch in right.
What's next for Texas?
After winning their regional opener the Longhorns advance into the winner's bracket of the Coral Gables Regional, where they will play the winner of No. 1 seeded Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 4 seeded Maine Black Bears at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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