Rodriguez's 8th-Inning Double Lifts Texas Past Oregon, 6-5

Deciding Moment

The Texas Longhorns secured a narrow 6-5 victory over the Oregon Ducks on Monday, June 8, 2026, thanks to a pivotal eighth-inning hit by A. Rodriguez. With the score tied at 5-5, Rodriguez doubled to left field, allowing C. Tinney and A. Pack Jr. to cross the plate. The two-run blast proved to be the difference-maker, lifting Texas to the win in front of 8,465 spectators at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas.

Early Offense and Oregon Rally

Texas jumped out to an early lead, highlighted by back-to-back home runs in the first inning. A. Robbins homered to left center, followed by C. Tinney’s shot to right center, giving the Longhorns a 2-0 advantage. The scoring continued in the second inning when D. Pendergrass advanced to third on a wild pitch by Oregon pitcher Will Sanford. A. Robbins drew a walk, allowing A. Larson to score, and later Tinney singled to shallow left to bring Pendergrass home, extending the lead to 4-0.

Oregon began its comeback in the bottom of the second. N. Lauaki Jr. reached on an infield single to second, scoring D. Smith. The Ducks chipped away further in the third inning. D. Smith doubled to left, scoring R. Cooney, and later B. Jaksa singled to shallow right to bring Smith home, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Oregon tied the game in the fifth inning when A. Laya scored on a groundout by B. Mabeus. Jaksa added another run in the seventh, scoring Cooney on a groundout to shortstop, making it 5-4 Oregon.

Pitching Performance

Texas starter Riojas pitched 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs while striking out seven. He was relieved by Ethan Walker, who threw 0.1 scoreless innings. Brody Walls entered in the eighth but allowed a hit before Thomas Burns came in to pitch a perfect 1.0 inning with two strikeouts, earning the win. Sam Cozart closed the game with 2.0 scoreless innings and four strikeouts, securing his ninth save of the season.

For Oregon, 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 threw 0.2 innings, and Devin Bell pitched 1.1 innings, allowing one earned run before taking the loss.

Final Records

With the win, the Texas Longhorns improved their record to 45-13. The Oregon Ducks fell to 43-18 on the season.

Sources

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