Texas beats Oregon to sweep Super Regional: Live updates recap

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We’re back at Disch-Falk Field here on the University of Texas campus for Game 2 of the Austin Super Regional between Oregon and Texas.

The Longhorns took Game 1 Saturday, 11-3, on a night filled with missed opportunities for the Ducks. Facing elimination tonight, Oregon turns to its ace, Will Sanford, to try to push this series to Monday.

We’ll be providing live updates throughout the game as the Ducks fight to keep their season alive.

First, here’s what you need to know:

Oregon Ducks (43-17, 20-10 Big Ten) vs. Texas Longhorns (44-13, 19-10 SEC)
How to watch: ESPN
How to listen: KUGN 590 AM
Probable pitchers: Oregon RHP Will Sanford (9-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. Texas RHP Ruger Riojas (5-2, 3.86 ERA)
Stories to read:

Live updates

End of game: The Ducks go down in order. That’s the ballgame, series and season: Texas wins 6-5 to sweep the Austin Super Regional.

Top 9: Texas goes down in order. Bottom of 9 coming up, Ducks needing a run.

Bottom 8: Texas brings in Sam Cozart out of the pen, who goes strikeout, strikeout, groundout to retire the Ducks in order. Oregon will have the top of the order coming up in the ninth, needing at least a run to keep its season alive.

Top 8: Toby Twist took over for Bradley to start the eighth. Bradley was fantastic in his 3 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one hit, no runs and striking out five. Twist got two quick outs, then walked Tinney. Now, in comes Devin Bell with two outs and a runner on first.

Bell walked one, hit another and then allowed a two-run double to Rodriguez as Texas takes a 5-4 lead.

Bottom 7: Big moment here as Texas goes to the bullpen with no outs and a runner on third. Ryan Cooney led off the frame with a double off the left field wall, then advanced to third on a passed ball. It’s Thomas Burns now into pitch for Texas to get out of this jam with Drew Smith at the plate.

Oregon leads 5-4. Burns came in, struck out Smith, but then allowed Brayden Jaksa to drive in a run with a fielder’s choice to second.

Top 7: Bradley strands another runner. We’re at the seventh-inning stretch, still tied, 4-4.

Bottom 6: The Ducks finally got Texas to dip into its bullpen. While Riojas managed to get the first two outs quickly, he hit Gimenez on a 3-1 count with his 111th pitch of the game and got the hook. Ethan Walker comes in to get Angel Laya to line out to end the inning. We’re still tied, 4-4.

Top 6: Harmless inning for Bradley and the Ducks, who strand a runner who reached on a HBP. It’s still tied, 4-4. Bradley’s pitch count is at 45. His season-high is 69.

Bottom 5: We have ourselves a tied ballgame. Oregon loads the bases with one out and gets the game tied with a run-scoring fielder’s choice to second off the bat of Mabeus. One thing of note: Oregon got two runners on with no outs, then elected to have cleanup hitter Drew Smith advance the runners over with a bunt. While the move eventually led to the tying run, it also limited the potential of a big Oregon inning.

Top 5: A little trouble for Bradley, but no damage by the Longhorns. After walking one and hitting another with two outs, Oregon’s reliever bounces back to get a ground out to end the threat. It’s 4-3 Texas at the halfway point, a brisk two hours since first pitch.

Bottom 4: An easier inning for Riojas, who strands Jack Brooks — who walked — on first to end the inning. It’s 4-3 Texas.

Top 4: Texas is the first team to force a move to the bullpen. The Longhorns chased Sanford after the Oregon starter loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single. 

In came Tanner Bradley, who fell behind Becerra 3-0 in the count before coming back for the inning-ending strikeout. 

It’s still 4-3 Texas. Remember that at-bat. Could be a big one.

Bottom of 3: Well look at that: we have ourselves a game. The Ducks plated two runs in the inning thanks to an RBI double from Drew Smith followed by a run-scoring single from Brayden Jaksa. After last night’s struggles in the clutch, the Ducks have three two-out RBIs so far tonight. 

It’s 4-3 Texas. 

Top of 3: Sanford finally settles down a bit and records his first scoreless inning — aided by a fantastic catch in deep foul territory by left fielder Jax Gimenez. It’s still 4-1 Texas.

Bottom of 2: Drew Smith led off with a double and scored on a two-out RBI single from Naulivou Lauaki. It had to be Lauaki’s softest hit of the year — a 72 mph squib shot off the bat that found a hole in the right side of a shifted infield. 

It’s 4-1 Texas. 

Top of 2: It’s not getting any better for Sanford. After getting the leadoff batter, he allowed a single, walked a pair, let a run score on a wild pitch and then another when Tinney ripped a ball toward third base that Drew Smith couldn’t corral. It’s 4-0 Texas now. 

Bottom of 1: A breezy 1-2-3 inning for Riojas in his first half inning against the Ducks. He’s sitting at about 95-96 mph with his fastball and has already shown a change of arm angle slot on a few different pitches. It’s still 2-0 Texas after 1.

Top of 1: It’s a meltdown of a first inning here for the Ducks. Will Sanford allowed back-to-back home runs to the game’s first two batters, then walked the three-hole hitter. Sanford was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout followed by a strikeout-throw-out double-play, but not an ideal start at all for the Ducks.

Pre-game

5:45 p.m.:

We have lineups.

5:30 p.m.: 

Alrighty, let’s fire these updates up again. It’s about 30 minutes away from first pitch here at Disch-Falk Field and the Ducks are finishing up warm-ups. I’ve noticed the group completes their workout before every game by forming two lines and going through and hugging each other, one by one.

Will they get to do it again?

Green is the color of the day for Oregon, Jersey Mike’s is the press meal up here in the box and don’t let that mild 83-degree temperature reading fool you — it’s downright soupy out there. 

Here’s hoping for a closer — and quicker — game than last night.