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Rodriguez's Double Lifts Texas Past Oregon in MCWS Thriller

A. Rodriguez delivered a go-ahead double in the eighth inning, helping the Texas Longhorns secure a 6-5 victory over the Oregon Ducks at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Brooks Avery

June 8, 20262 min read

NCAA BaseballFinal
Texas Longhorns6
Oregon Ducks5

June 8, 2026

Late Surge Secures Win

A. Rodriguez’s double in the eighth inning proved to be the decisive moment, driving in two runs to give the Texas Longhorns a 6-5 victory over the Oregon Ducks. The win improves Texas’s record to 45-13, while Oregon falls to 43-18 in the College World Series action held in Austin.

Early Power Display

Texas jumped out to an early lead, highlighted by two home runs in the first inning. A. Robbins homered to left center to open the scoring, followed shortly by a C. Tinney home run to right center, putting the Longhorns ahead 2-0.

The offense continued to pile on in the second inning. D. Pendergrass advanced to third on a wild pitch by Oregon pitcher W. Sanford, allowing A. Larson to score. After A. Robbins walked and A. Larson scored again on another wild pitch by Sanford, C. Tinney singled to shallow left to bring Pendergrass home, extending the lead to 4-0.

Oregon responded with runs in the third and fifth innings. N. Lauaki Jr. reached on an infield single to second, scoring D. Smith. In the third, D. Smith doubled to left, scoring R. Cooney, and B. Jaksa singled to shallow right to add another run. B. Mabeus grounded out to second in the fifth, but A. Laya scored to make it 4-4. Jaksa grounded out to shortstop in the seventh, but R. Cooney scored to tie the game at 5-5 after Jaksa had already scored earlier in the inning.

Pitching Performance

Texas starters Ruger and Ethan Walker provided the bulk of the pitching effort. Ruger pitched 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs while striking out seven. Walker pitched 0.1 scoreless innings.

Thomas Burns earned the win with 1.0 inning of work, striking out two batters. Sam Cozart secured the save with 2.0 scoreless innings, recording four strikeouts.

Oregon’s Will Sanford took the loss after pitching 3.2 innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs with five walks and seven strikeouts. Tanner Bradley pitched 3.1 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with five strikeouts. Toby Twist pitched 0.2 innings, and Devin Bell pitched 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and one earned run.

Final Score

The Texas Longhorns defeated the Oregon Ducks 6-5. The game was played at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas, with an attendance of 8,465.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/college-baseball/game/_/gameId/401874381

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Brooks Avery

Brooks Avery covers Sherman sports, from high school teams to Austin College athletics.

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