Longhorns Facing Miami in Coral Gables Regional Winner's Bracket
Winning the opener of their regional is what the Texas Longhorns do under coach David Pierce. In his time at Texas, the Longhorns are an impressive 5-0 in the first game of their regional.
That fifth win came on Friday when they opened the Coral Gables Regional with a 4-2 win over the No. 3 seeded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, advancing to the winner's bracket as a result.
Lucas Gordon was his usual dominant self, twirling seven innings of one-run baseball to hold a potent offense in check. He was followed by Zane Morehouse, who gave the Longhorns two innings of one-run baseball,
Offensively, Texas was clutch when it mattered, with all four runs coming in key moments. Mitchell Daly launched a solo home run to tie the game 1-1, Porter Brown came through with a two out, RBI single and Dylan Campbell would add a two-run, two out double to give the Longhorns a 4-1 lead - eventually becoming their 4-2 win.
Now, the Longhorns look to the winner's bracket and prepare for a showdown with the No. 1 seed Miami Hurricanes.
How to watch/listen:
Saturday at 5 p.m. CT (ESPN+/TexasSports.com/Audio)
A look at Miami's regional so far
The Hurricanes put together a dominant 2023 season, earning them the No. 9 national seed and a regional host bid. They kicked off their regional in strong fashion, making light work of the Maine Black Bears in a 9-1 blowout win to advance to the winner's bracket.
Miami by the numbers
Record: 41-19
Runs scored: 446
Runs allowed: 320
Team Avg.: .300
Team ERA: 5.12
Miami wins this game if...
It can get to the Longhorns bullpen early and often. With Lebarron Johnson Jr. the probable starter for Texas on the mound it is imperative for Miami to get to a Longhorns bullpen that has struggled. Zane Morehouse went worked two innings in the win over Louisiana, and if the Hurricanes can knock Johnson out early than they have a good chance at taking another step closer to Omaha.
Texas wins this game if...
It can get another strong outing from Johnson on the mound. Johnson caught fire on the mound to end the season, giving the Longhorns a reliable option to follow Gordon on Saturday's. If he can follow Gordon's dominant seven-inning performance with a similar outing of his own, then the Longhorns may very well find themselves in the regional championship game.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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