There's a common school of thought regarding the College World Series: you have to manufacture runs to win. With how large Charles Schwab Field in Omaha plays, a team reliant on the home run usually struggles here.
Georgia absorbed that lesson the hard way, falling 4-3 to Oklahoma. Even more frustrating for the Bulldogs, they clubbed three home runs in the defeat.
If you've done the math, you've realized that none of Georgia's home runs came with a runner on base. The Bulldogs hit three solo shots, and that was the entirety of their offense. They couldn't piece anything else together because Oklahoma didn't make mistakes. Xander Mercurius pitched brilliantly in his fourth career start, walking two and giving up six hits. Three were home runs, but they didn't matter because Mercurius never allowed Georgia to manufacture a big inning.
That drops Georgia into the losers' bracket against Texas, facing a clear challenge ahead. Georgia has been able to outslug everyone it's come up against this year. But if those home runs don't come with runners on base, they won't come often enough to win a title. Now the Bulldogs have to find a way to win three consecutive games just to reach the championship series.
Oklahoma Manufactures Its Cushion
On the other side of the field, Oklahoma took control early. And as has frequently happened to losing teams in this tournament, Georgia helped out.
Caden Aoki went the distance for Georgia, pitching seven brilliant innings. In the first, however, he was his own worst enemy. After opening the game by giving up a double, Aoki hit a batter and committed a throwing error, giving the Sooners second and third with nobody out. The next two batters hit an RBI groundout and a two-run home run, giving Mercurius the cushion he needed.
The Sooners finished with two home runs, but the first inning made all the difference. Had Georgia not made those critical mistakes before settling in, it could have been an entirely different game. Instead, the Bulldogs had to play under pressure while the Sooners played freely.
Time and again, Omaha has shown that talent alone is not enough. Teams that beat themselves usually go home. Oklahoma didn't, and now it's in the semifinals.
Texas Uses the Park
Alabama never had a chance on Monday. Texas battered the Crimson Tide from the opening pitch, scoring seven runs in the first two innings. What made the performance striking was how the Longhorns did it. Out of 13 hits, only one was a home run. They had five other extra-base hits, whacking four doubles and a triple.
Because Omaha plays so deep, a team can use the dimensions to its advantage. Texas did exactly that. The Longhorns hit the ball to open spaces repeatedly, and Alabama had no answers. Adrian Rodriguez hit for the cycle and Texas went 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
It could have been even worse, as the Longhorns hit into a pair of double plays. This was systematic destruction, and it shows what Texas can be when it plays its game.
The Rematch
Georgia now finds itself in the last place it wanted to be, which is a rematch with Texas. In the first meeting, where Georgia could throw its ace, the Bulldogs held the overall advantage. A third game is a different story. Georgia no longer has that edge, and it's facing the best pitching staff in the SEC.
The Bulldogs' pitching staff ranked 13th in ERA among the teams here, ahead of only Alabama, South Carolina and Missouri. Unless Texas gifts them extra outs again, Georgia will need a different formula to survive a second meeting.
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