OMAHA, Neb. (AP) 鈥� Adrian Rodriguez hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs, Ruger Riojas pitched six strong innings and the Longhorns knocked Alabama out of the College World Series with a 14-2 victory Monday.
Texas (46-14) plays another elimination game Tuesday against the loser of Monday night’s Oklahoma-Georgia game. The Crimson Tide (42-21) went two-and-out in their first CWS appearance since 1999.
Rodriguez and the Longhorns cranked up their offense two days after Georgia’s Joey Volchko struck them out 15 times
The sophomore shortstop had a two-run double in the first inning, a two-run triple in the second, a single in the fifth and a two-run homer in the sixth. For good measure, he hit an RBI double in the eighth.
The triple initially was scored as a single and two-base error after the ball dropped between center fielder Bryce Fowler and left fielder Eric Hines and rolled to the warning track. Official scorer Shamus McKnight changed it to a triple a few innings later after further reviewing video.
鈥淗ad it not been changed by the end of the game, yeah, I certainly would have said something,鈥� Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said. 鈥淚 thought that was a clean triple. But I鈥檓 glad they made that change during the game.鈥�
Rodriguez became the third player in CWS history to hit for the cycle and tied the CWS record for most RBIs and total bases in a game (12). The other players to hit for the cycle were Minnesota鈥檚 Jerry Kindall, against Mississippi in 1956, and Tennessee鈥檚 Christian Moore, against Florida State in 2024.
鈥淩uger actually came up to me later in the game and told me that they took the error off the board,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淪o it was kind of surreal, because I remember C-Mo doing it with Tennessee when I was in high school. It鈥檚 kind of crazy that that鈥檚 all coming back when we鈥檙e here. So it鈥檚 just a crazy moment.鈥�
Rodriguez’s performance was another highlight in his comeback from a troublesome injury that has twice cost him playing time and forced him to bat left-handed exclusively after having been a switch hitter. He suffered a fracture to his left hand when he was hit by a pitch against Missouri last season and missed seven games. He had surgery to insert a staple in the wrist last fall, but he had an allergic reaction and needed another surgery in April that sidelined him eight games.
鈥淗appy for him considering all the things he鈥檚 been through this year,鈥� Schlossnagle said.
He entered the NCAA Tournament batting .277 with 31 RBIs, 11 doubles, two triples and three homers in 45 games.
In seven NCAA Tournament games, he is batting .667 (18 of 27) with at least two hits each game, 16 RBIs, seven doubles, a triple and two homers.
鈥淚 think that guy is one of the big heartbeats of that team,鈥� Tide coach Rob Vaughn said. 鈥淗e plays with a lot of energy. Obviously playing the biggest position on the field at shortstop. Kind of threw us for a loop.鈥�
Riojas (6-2) allowed two runs and struck out seven in six innings. Texas is 5-0 in his last five starts. Alabama’s Zane Adams (8-5) was knocked out with two outs in the second inning. He gave up seven runs on seven hits and three walks.
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