 "Photo: Paul Chouy/The Daily Texan")
 "Photo: Paul Chouy/The Daily Texan")
OMAHA, Neb. — On Monday, freshman pitcher Taylor Jungmann struggled. He threw six pitches, all were balls. Texas lost.
On Tuesday, starting the second game of the College World Series Championship Series against Louisiana State a day after contributing to the pitching collapse, Jungmann threw 126 more effective pitches, working a complete game and keeping the Tigers offense to a single run. Texas won 5-1.
“First, there was the rain. It played a part in this, an important part. Took the temp way down and it helped Taylor,” Texas coach Augie Garrido said of the 94-minute rain delay at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium. “When we first got to the ballpark, it was steaming. He was brilliant in his performance. His teammates got him an early lead, and I have always had a feeling through the years, the best thing for a pitcher’s curveball is a four-run lead.”
For the Tigers, who had yet to commit an error while in Omaha, the start was ugly — beginning with the four-pitch walk LSU starter Austin Ross issued to Michael Torres.
Trying to counter a bunt attempt, Tiger catcher Micah Gibbs attempted to pick off Torres at first, but his errant throw sailed into right field moving Torres to second. Travis Tucker then bunted Torres over to third, where he scored on a Brandon Belt single into right.
“The start was terrible for us,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “It started us off on a bad foot right away. Pretty fortunate that we didn’t’ give up more than two runs there.”
Ross (6-8, 5.18 ERA) and LSU could never recover from the rocky start. In the second inning, Texas left fielder Preston Clark turned the second pitch he saw into yet another Longhorn solo shot — giving Texas a 2-1 lead.
The quick start offensively gave the tall, lanky freshman a lead to work with. Jungmann responded, shutting down LSU and holding the Tigers to only five hits and no earned runs while striking out nine. The Tigers scored their lone unearned run in the second with the help of a rare Brandon Loy error.
“I was just staying back, I had a really good feel for the ball today,” Jungmann said. “That is about it, it is just a feel.”
Texas responded, immediately answering the Tiger’s run with three of its own in the top of the third.
When LSU brought in lefty Ryan Byrd to start the third, designated hitter Russell Moldenhauer, in his 43rd appearance and 25th start of the season, knew he had a chance at his first official at-bat against a left-handed pitcher this season. In only two plate appearances against southpaws this season, Moldenhauer had drawn two walks. With one out in the third, he appeared to be on his way to a third walk.
But on a 3-1 pitch, the left-handed hitter liked what he saw. A lot.
“I was seeing the ball good, laying off on sliders,” Moldenhauer said. “I had a hunch he would come back inside with a fastball. Luckily, he left it up enough for me to elevate it. Put the bat on the ball.”
His first official at-bat against a lefty became his fourth home run of the season — all of which have come in Omaha.
“The response was important. You want to try to win the inning when you are a visitor to maintain the same score,” Garrido said. “I join the 350,000 Longhorn fans who wonder why I took him out yesterday.”
The Moldenhauer homer opened the floodgates. Cameron Rupp followed with a double to right. After an out — a deep Kevin Keyes fly to the warning track — a double by Connor Rowe scored Rupp. Preston Clark (3-for-4) would drive in his second run of the game on a single through the left side of the infield pushing the score to 5-1.
A day after looking lost and frazzled on the mound, against the same team, the freshman felt it, cruising to his first career complete game while also playing the biggest game of his young Longhorn career.
“Save it for the end, man,” Jungmann said about his last, and best, pitching performance. “I was pounding the zone, throwing strikes and going right at hitters.”
Jungmann’s dominant performance kept Texas alive and forced a winner-take-all game tonight for the national championship.
LSU starter Anthony Ranaudo — the Tigers’ Friday night starter all season — will face off with Cole Green in tonight’s game for the national championship.
The best-of-three championship series, and Texas’ season comes down to the one final game.
“After last night, I took a major change in position with the two-out-of-three being the best format,” Garrido said. “We all know that anything can happen. Tomorrow just gets to be the final game of a great season. The No. 1 ranked team in the polls and the No. 1 seeded team for the national championship.”
And in a season chock-full of drama, there wouldn’t be a better way to end it.
“Now, we have created just another bit of drama,” Garrido said. “The survival instinct is much stronger when you know you are going to be eliminated or beaten out, we fight harder. Tomorrow is the final start — 288 started, two are left with one game to play. Pretty awesome.”
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