Georgia fell short 4-3 Monday night to Oklahoma, suffering its first loss this postseason and will now move to the loser’s bracket.
Facing elimination, Georgia will face Texas for the second time this College World Series on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Oklahoma jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and Georgia was never able to climb back into the game. The Bulldogs cut it as close as one, but the Sooners were able to cling to the one-run lead to secure the win.
A lot of it has to do with how strong Oklahoma’s starting pitcher, Xander Mercurius. was. The freshman right-hander limited the vaunted UGA offense to three runs in 7 1/3 IP, giving up six hits, three runs, walking two and striking out nine.
The Sooners improved to 2-0 in Omaha and now sit in the driver’s seat to return to the championship series for the first time since 2022.
Oklahoma will face the winner of Georgia-Texas on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Not only was it Georgia’s first loss of the NCAA Tournament, but it is the first defeat since falling 14-4 at Auburn on May 16.
As for the Bulldogs’ next opponent, the Longhorns clobbered Alabama on Monday, winning 14-2 and sending the Crimson Tide home.
After UGA starter Joey Volchko shut down Texas in the opening round, the Longhorn bats woke up in a big way.
The Longhorns tallied double-digit runs for the fourth time this postseason, had 13 hits, four doubles, a triple and a pair of homers.
Adrian Rodriguez went 5-for-5 for Texas, with seven RBIs and he hit for the cycle.
UGA will likely face left-handed pitcher Luke Harrison on the mound Tuesday. Harrison is 6-3 this season with a 4.27 ERA in 77.2 IP and an 89-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
During the NCAA Tournament, Harrison has made three appearances — one start — and has tossed a combined 5.2 scoreless innings, allowed just two hits and struck out nine.
The good news for Georgia is that Caden Aoki overcame a tough three-run first inning to throw seven quality innings for Georgia, which now has a bullpen that has yet to throw a single pitch at the College World Series.
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