Texas Baseball: Bats get revived, Horns stay alive in CWS vs. Vols

In a win-or-go-home situation for head coach David Pierce and No. 2 ranked Texas baseball got the performance they needed to stay alive. The College World Series was set to still feature at least one of the top two seeds in Omaha this week following this matchup between Texas and the No. 3 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Since the No. 1 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks were eliminated in the Fayetteville Super Regional by the NC State Wolfpack, Texas and Tennessee were left as the top two seeds in Omaha.

Texas had redshirt junior right-hander Tristan Stevens on the mound for the start in this critical College World Series elimination game meeting with Tennessee. While this wasn’t the best start of the season for Stevens, the Texas bats picked up him when needed.

Stevens gave the Longhorns less than four innings on the mound, with four earned runs and just one strikeout. It was the efforts out of the bullpen from Tanner Witt that actually saved the Longhorns on this day. Witt gave Texas 5.2 shutout innings, with just three hits allowed.

The power in the Longhorns bats gave more than the boost that Witt needed out of the bullpen to get an edge against the Vols. By the bottom of the fourth inning, Texas had already amassed a 7-4 lead, and never looked back.

Eric Kennedy and Tanner Witt give Texas baseball the push they need to beat Tennessee

Texas got a big day from Eric Kennedy and Cam Williams with the bats. Kennedy picked up where he left off in the Austin Super Regional with three runs batted in, two runs, and two hits, in four at-bats. Kennedy led the Longhorns in RBIs on June 22.

Williams also gave the Longhorns two RBIs on one hit, in four at-bats.

Whenever it seemed like Tennessee started to get a run going with their bats, the Longhorns responded and even one-upped them. Texas responded to a two-run top of the second inning for the Vols with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second. The same could be said for the way the fourth inning went for Tennessee and Texas.

Kennedy and Williams provided a nice showing for the Texas bats. Texas amassed eight runs on just seven hits on the day. That was largely thanks to some brilliant base running by the Longhorns. Texas racked up a program-best four steals in a College World Series game this afternoon against the Vols.

Kennedy and Williams also had one stolen base each among the four for Texas on the day.

The Tennessee pitching staff struggled on the afternoon, with each of their first three pitchers giving up at least two earned runs. Texas got the efforts out of the bats that was needed in the College World Series opening game against the No. 7 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Following losses to Texas and the No. 6 ranked Virginia Cavaliers, the run for the Vols is now over in Omaha before it could really get started.

Texas now owns a record of 48-16 following this win over Tennessee. There still really is not any room for error left for the Longhorns in Omaha, but they are now one step closer to prominence. Meanwhile, Tennessee finishes up their season with a record of 50-18 as they head back to Knoxville.