What a difference just one week can make in the world of college baseball. One day the Texas Longhorns were scuffling into the NCAA Tournament, and the next they find themselves one game away from a super regional berth.
The Longhorns wasted no time jumping out in front of the Miami Hurricanes, with Jared Thomas leading off the first with a double before eventually scoring on a Dylan Campbell two-run blast - which extended his hitting streak to 37 games.
They weren't done there, either, as Jack O'Dowd joined the party with a one out solo blast of his own that gave Texas a 3-0 lead after the second inning. From there the Longhorns plated one more run, which came on a clutch two-out RBI single from Jalin Flores that gave them the 4-0 edge after three innings.
Those four runs would be all Longhorns' starter Lebarron Johnson Jr. needed from his offense on the mound. He did get in jams in the first and second inning, loading the bases both times, but got out of both unscathed without allowing a run.
From there he was absolutely lights out. Giving up only one run on a solo home run in the fourth inning, Johnson kept a potent Hurricanes lineup in check on the mound.
Giving the Longhorns everything he had, the starter came back out in the ninth already well over 100 pitches. How did he respond, you might ask? By inducing a game-ending double play, wrapping up a complete game on 129 pitches while racking up eight strikeouts in the 4-1 Longhorns win.
What's next for Texas?
The Longhorns advanced to the regional championship game on Sunday afternoon, where they will play the winner of Louisiana and Miami at 5 p.m. CT with a chance to advance to a super regional.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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