Adrian Rodriguez put on a historic show Monday afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska, going 5-for-5 with seven RBIs and hitting for the cycle as sixth-seeded Texas crushed seventh-seeded Alabama 14-2 in a College World Series elimination game.
The Longhorns wasted no time getting on the board, plating three runs in the first inning against Alabama starter Zane Adams on three consecutive doubles. Ethan Mendoza started the scoring with a double down the left-field line, and Rodriguez followed with a two-run double to right field.
Alabama trimmed the deficit to 3-1 with a run in the second, but Texas responded with four more runs in the bottom of the inning — all coming with two outs — to effectively put the game away.
Anthony Pack Jr. pushed the lead to 4-1 with an RBI single, and Mendoza added another run with a single through the right side. Mendoza then looped a ball into left-center that fell between Alabama left fielder Eric Hines and center fielder Bryce Fowler, allowing two more runs to score.
Hines was initially charged with an error on the play, which would have limited Mendoza to a single. However, late in the game — after Mendoza had already added a single and a home run — officials reversed the error call and upgraded the hit to a triple, completing the cycle and giving Mendoza a perfect 5-for-5 day at the plate.
The feat marked only the third cycle in Men’s College World Series history and the first since Tennessee’s Christian Moore accomplished it in 2024.
Rodriguez kept his own big day going by leading off the fifth with a single, then launching a two-run home run to right field in the sixth. Pack also went deep in the sixth with a two-run blast of his own.
Alabama’s John Lemm accounted for the Crimson Tide’s second run with a solo home run in the fourth inning. The Crimson Tide finished the game at 42-21 on the season.
Texas starter Ruger Riojas improved to 6-2 on the year, allowing just two runs on six hits over six innings while striking out seven and walking two.
The Longhorns tacked on three more runs in the eighth, with Rodriguez adding yet another RBI double to cap his remarkable afternoon.
Mendoza finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Pack went 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs. Rodriguez’s seven RBIs tied a Men’s College World Series record, and he is now 7-for-8 in this year’s tournament.
Texas, now 46-14 on the season, will face the loser of Monday’s late game between Georgia and Oklahoma in an elimination contest on Tuesday. Monday’s victory was the Longhorns’ first win at the College World Series since 2021.
