With a gem from pitcher Joey Volchko and the Bulldogs capitalizing off multiple Longhorns misfires, No. 3 national seed Georgia defeated No. 6 seed Texas 7-1 on Saturday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
Georgia will move on to face Oklahoma, which defeated Alabama 9-0 on Saturday, on Monday.
“We knew it was gonna be tough coming in here, and we knew getting this first win is huge,” second baseman Ryan Wynn said. “It sets you up for the rest of the weekend, and for us to come out and get it and grind it out, that’s huge. And it helps us keep going and keeps the momentum high and keeps it fresh.”
Georgia led 4-0 after a first inning that included Volchko striking out the side, two throwing errors by Texas catcher Carson Tinney and standout Longhorns lefty Dylan Volantis giving up just his third home run of the season, hitting two batters and throwing 41 pitches.
Texas had three errors Saturday.
“When they make those errors, you’ve got to step on the throat and you gotta take advantage of it,” shortstop Kolby Branch said. “If you don’t, that’s how you lose ballgames. … When they give it to us, you got to take it.”
Despite a total of four hit batters, Volantis mostly settled in, giving up seven runs — only two earned — on four hits, walking one, throwing two wild pitches and striking out nine in 6⅓ innings.
Center fielder Rylan Lujo led the Bulldogs with three RBIs to go with two hits, including Georgia’s lone homer of the night. Georgia tallied five hits to Texas’ four.
In the fifth inning, Texas got a run back after a failed pickoff attempt by Volchko allowed Texas shortstop Adrian Rodriguez to reach third and then score on a single by designated hitter Ethan Mendoza. With a career-high 15 strikeouts and just one walk, that was the only blip of the night for Volchko, who held Texas to one unearned run on four hits in his first career complete game.
“I felt a lot of confidence and comfort with the game plan that we came in with,” Volchko said. “There was a very clear plan. We had a great pen talking through it. It was one of the longer ones I’ve ever thrown as far as, like, dialogue in between pitches. So to come out there and execute that, that was huge. And there was a lot of comfort in that.”
In the seventh, after third baseman Tre Phelps reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a wild pitch, a double by Lujo scored Phelps and advanced catcher Daniel Jackson to third base.
A single by left fielder Kenny Ishikawa scored Lujo and Jackson and Georgia took a 7-1 lead, ending the night for Volantis.
“It’s massive,” Jackson said on how the Bulldogs seized on Longhorns errors. “I mean, when you get handouts, you have to take advantage of them, especially when you play a good team like them.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
