OMAHA, Neb. — No. 6 Texas opened its Men’s College World Series run with a 7-1 loss to No. 3 Georgia on Saturday night at Charles Schwab Field, sending the Longhorns into an early elimination game.
Texas (45-14) will face No. 7 Alabama on Monday at 1 p.m. CT, while Georgia (52-12) advances to the winners’ bracket to take on Oklahoma later that evening.
Despite a strong outing from left-hander Dylan Volantis, early defensive lapses proved costly for the Longhorns. Georgia capitalized on Texas miscues in the first inning, plating four runs — only two of them earned — to seize early control.
Volantis (10-2) settled in after the opening frame, retiring 16 of the next 18 hitters and holding Georgia hitless from the second through the sixth inning. The 6-foot-6 sophomore worked a career-high 111 pitches over 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out nine.
Georgia starter Joey Volchko (11-2) was dominant throughout, delivering a complete-game performance. The right-hander allowed just four hits and one unearned run while striking out a career-high 15 batters, consistently neutralizing Texas’ lineup.
The Bulldogs were led offensively by Rylan Lujo, who sparked the first-inning surge with a two-run home run and later added an RBI double in the seventh. Georgia added insurance in the seventh when Kenny Ishikawa delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to six.
Texas managed just four hits on the night, with Adrian Rodriguez and Ethan Mendoza each recording two. The Longhorns’ lone run came unearned, and they were unable to generate sustained offensive pressure against Volchko.
With the loss, Texas falls to 88-66 all-time in Men’s College World Series play and now faces a win-or-go-home matchup against Alabama as it looks to keep its postseason run alive.
