Austin Regional: Texas Defeats Arizona State
By Steve Parkhurst
June 6, 2021
AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Longhorns and Arizona State Sun Devils played a winner’s bracket game Saturday night in the NCAA Austin Regional. Weather forced delays that pushed the start of the game back just over two hours.
Ty Madden for Texas took on Justin Fall for Arizona State as the two looked to put their team in control of the regional headed into Sunday.
The game was scoreless into the bottom of the third. Fall walked three of the first four Longhorns batters he faced in the frame. With the bases loaded and one out, Cam Williams was hit by a pitch to force in the first run of the game. A walk followed and gave Texas a 2–0 lead. A wild pitch plated a third run and moved runners to second and third.
Fall appeared injured after the wild pitch and after evaluation from the medical staff, he was removed from the game.
Reliever Christian Bodlovich took the mound for the Sun Devils and escaped the third inning with no further damage thanks to some great defense behind him.
In the fourth inning, Zach Zubia hit a two-out two-run home run off the batter’s eye in center field, his tenth home run of the season to put the Longhorns in command 5–0.
Arizona State got on the board in the fifth after loading the bases and a fielder’s choice brought home a run.
With two outs and no runners on base, Texas mounted a rally. Williams scored on a Trey Faltine single to center field and Texas again led by five runs at 6–1 in the sixth. The Sun Devils went to the bullpen at that point. Eric Kennedy then doubled up the middle to plate two more Longhorns.
Tanner Witt took the mound for the seventh inning in relief of Madden who left leading 8–1.
Witt walked the first batter he faced. Nate Baez hit an 0–2 pitch off the scoreboard in left field. After the home run, Witt retired six batters in a row.
Silas Ardoin put Texas in front 10–3 in the eighth inning with a two-run single up the middle.
Witt closed out the Sun Devils in the ninth to seal the victory.
Texas head coach David Pierce was pleased with Madden’s effort, “When he’s not sharp he reaches down and finds a different way to get somebody out.”
Added Pierce: “It’s just fun to watch him go compete.”
“This team’s got a lot of confidence right now. We’re playing well. You’ve got to feel good having Pete Hansen on the mound in a game to move you to the Super Regional,” Madden said after the game.
The Longhorns have won their first two games in the Austin Regional by a total score of 21–3.
Coach Pierce sounding pleased but cautious, said Saturday night, “We’re still young, we’re not perfect.”
The loss for Arizona State sets up a rematch with Fairfield on Sunday afternoon. The two teams played each other on Friday night in a thrilling ballgame that ended with a Sun Devils ninth inning walk-off. The winner Sunday afternoon will face Texas later in the evening.
