With a gem from pitcher Joey Volchko and Georgia capitalizing off multiple Texas misfires, No. 3 national seed Bulldogs defeated No. 6 national seed Longhorns 7-1 Saturday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
Georgia will face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Monday. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 9-0 Saturday. Texas heads to the loser’s bracket and will play Alabama at 2 p.m. Monday.
The Bulldogs are playing in the College World Series for the first time since 2008.
After a first inning that included Volchko striking out the side, two throwing errors by Texas catcher Carson Tinney and standout Longhorns lefty Dylan Volantis giving up just his third home run of the season, hitting two batters and throwing 41 pitches, Georgia led 4-0.
Texas finished with three errors on Saturday.
Despite a total of four hit batters, Volantis mostly settled in, giving up seven runs, only two earned, on four hits, walking one and striking out nine in 6 1/3 innings, with two wild pitches.
Center fielder Rylan Lujo led the Bulldogs with three RBIs, to go with two hits and Georgia’s lone homer of the night.
In the fifth inning, Texas got a run back after a failed pickoff attempt by Volchko allowed Texas shortstop Adrian Rodriguez to reach third and then score off a single by designated hitter Ethan Mendoza. With a career-high 15 strikeouts and just one walk, that was the only blip of the night for Volchko, who held Texas to one run, zero earned, on four hits.
In the seventh, after third baseman Tre Phelps reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a wild pitch, a double by Lujo scored Phelps and advanced catcher Daniel Jackson to third base.
A single by left fielder Kenny Ishikawa scored Lujo and Jackson and Georgia took a 7-1 lead, ending the night for Volantis.
The game started at 8:45, behind schedule due to a weather delay.