OMAHA, Neb. – Texas jumped ahead early and rolled to a 4-0 victory over Vanderbilt at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
Texas (46-20) tallied two runs in each of the first two innings to pull ahead, handing Vanderbilt (48-19) its first loss of the 2014 College World Series.
Nathan Thornhill (9-3) recorded the win for Texas, tossing eight innings and scattering six hits, walking one batter and striking out five Commodore batters.
Brooks Marlow found his way on base four times and scored twice during the game, racking up a triple, two walks and a hit-by-pitch with an RBI. Zane Gurwitz was 2-for-4 with a triple, while teammates Mark Payton, C.J. Hinojosa and Madison Carter each added an RBI.
Texas took advantage in a hectic bottom of the first, scoring two runs with just one hit.
Brooks Marlow was pegged on the first pitch of the game, moving to second on Ben Johnson’s four-pitch walk.
With one down, Mark Payton was hit by pitch to load the bases, a chaotic inning continued as C.J. Hinojosa’s single ricocheted off second base umpire, ruling the play a dead ball with players advancing – scoring Marlow from third.
After the second strikeout of the inning, Madison Carter drew an RBI walk, chasing Vanderbilt’s Tyler Ferguson (8-4) from the game and giving Texas a 2-0 lead. The Vanderbilt pitcher’s departure was the earliest for a CWS performance since June 21, 2012.
In the second, Zane Gurwitz and Marlow continued the onslaught for Texas, starting off the inning with back-to-back triples, finding space in left and right fields, respectively, plating Gurwitz.
A sacrifice bunt from Payton extended the lead to 4-0 for Texas, as Marlow scored his second run of the game and Payton reached safely on an error.
Vanderbilt’s John Norwood was 2-for-4 in the game, while Tyler Campbell went 2-for-3. The Commodores’ put runners on first and second with one out in the fourth, but a groundout and a pop up ended the scoring threat.
John Curtis threw the top of the ninth inning in quick fashion, making his second appearance at the CWS and striking out one.
The win was Texas’ second consecutive shutout in the CWS, having defeated UC-Irvine, 1-0, in an elimination game on June 28. It was also the Longhorn’s 13th shutout of the season.
Texas’ victory forces a rematch in an elimination game on Saturday, June 20. First pitch is yet to be determined.
