The Texas Longhorns exploded offensively and rode a historic performance from Adrian Rodriguez to a dominant 14-2 victory over Alabama in Game 7 of the Men’s College World Series on Monday. Rodriguez finished 5-for-5 with a single, double, triple, and two-run homer, completing just the third hitting cycle in CWS history. The star drove in six runs as the Longhorns eliminated the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma dealt Georgia its first loss of the MCWS in the nightcap. Read more: College World Series round-up: Longhorns dominate, Sooners survive.
Early dominance sets the tone
Ruger Riojas got the start for Texas and worked out of trouble in the first inning, striking out Bryce Fowler and two others after Justin Lebron singled. Texas answered immediately in the bottom half. Aiden Robbins doubled and Carson Tinney walked to set up Ethan Mendoza. The junior ripped a double down the line for the game’s first run.
Rodriguez followed with a two-run double to right field, giving Texas a 3-0 lead after one inning. Alabama scratched across a run in the second on Luke Vaughn’s RBI single, but the Longhorns responded with a four-run frame. Casey Borba singled, advanced on a sacrifice, and scored on Anthony Pack’s single. Mendoza added an RBI single before Rodriguez crushed a triple to left, pushing the lead to 7-1.
Brief Alabama rally, Texas pulls away
The Tide showed some fight in the fourth when Lemm launched a solo home run to center, cutting the deficit to 7-2. However, Texas’ offense stayed relentless. In the sixth, Pack delivered a two-run homer to left, and Rodriguez immediately followed with a two-run shot to right field, extending the lead to 11-2. Rodriguez’s homer completed his cycle in style.
Late surge seals the victory
Texas added three more runs in the eighth. Robbins reached on an error, Tinney walked, and Pack drove in a run with a double. Blake Peterson (pinch-hitting) grounded out to score another, and Rodriguez capped his monster night with a run-scoring double, making it 14-2.
Relievers Brody Walls and Cody Howard shut down Alabama the rest of the way. Howard retired the side in the ninth to finish off the decisive victory. Final Score: Texas 14, Alabama 2
Nightcap
The Oklahoma Sooners held off a late rally from Georgia to secure a hard-fought 4-3 victory in Game 8 of the Men’s College World Series on Monday night, eliminating the Bulldogs and advancing in the tournament. Xander Mercurius delivered a strong start on the mound for Oklahoma, while the Sooners built an early lead and used timely hitting and clutch relief pitching to close out the win.
Oklahoma gets off to a fast start
Mercurius retired Georgia in order in the top of the first, setting the tone. Oklahoma wasted no time getting to work in the bottom half. Jason Walk led off with a double off the wall in center, and Camden Johnson was hit by a pitch. A wild pickoff attempt advanced both runners. Deiten LaChance grounded out to score the game’s first run, and Jaxon Willits followed with a two-run home run to center, giving the Sooners a commanding 3-0 lead after one inning.
Georgia got on the board in the fourth when Kenny Ishikawa launched a solo homer to center, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Oklahoma answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth as Brendan Brock blasted a solo home run of his own, restoring the three-run advantage at 4-1.
Pitching duel and Georgia’s comeback attempts
The game settled into a strong pitching duel between Mercurius and Caden Aoki. Brennan Hudson hit a solo homer for Georgia in the fifth to make it 4-2, but both starters continued to dominate through the middle innings, trading zeros and racking up strikeouts.
Mercurius worked efficiently, keeping the Bulldogs in check until the eighth. There, Jackson delivered a solo homer to left, pulling Georgia within one run at 4-3. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs, but Jackson Cleveland, who had just entered in relief, induced a fly out to escape the jam.
Cleveland seals the victory
In the bottom of the eighth, Oklahoma threatened but left runners stranded. Cleveland returned for the ninth and delivered a clutch performance.
He struck out two and induced a game-ending pop-up from Jackson to secure the 4-3 win.
What’s next
Game 9 of the 2026 Men’s College World Series features WVU and Troy in an elimination game. The winner has to then beat UNC twice to advance to the final round.
First pitch from Charles Schwab Field is set for 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. local Tuesday. Tune in to 100.9 FM The Torch or any of its affiliate stations across the John Fredericks Media Network for play-by-play coverage of the Mountaineers’ final push for its first baseball title.
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