Fly ball lost in twilight gives Stanford berth in Men's College World Series, ends Texas' season

Stanford topped Texas 7-6 to win Game 3 of the Palo Alto super regional Monday, and the run that sent the Longhorns back to Austin came home on what appeared to be a routine pop-up to shallow right-center field.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a game that deserved extra innings, a high fly ball that Texas outfielders lost in the Bay Area twilight kept the game from getting there.

Stanford topped Texas 7-6 to win Game 3 of the Stanford super regional Monday, and the run that sent the Longhorns back to Austin came home on what appeared to be a routine pop-up to shallow right-center field.

Cardinal second baseman Drew Bowser delivered an RBI single to score Alberto Rios for the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn't a line drive or even a ground ball with eyes. It was a ball hit so high that it blended into the multi-colored Northern California sunset, and Longhorns outfielders Dylan Campbell and Eric Kennedy simply didn't see it.

"I think everyone lost it. I don't think anyone saw it," Longhorns head coach David Pierce said. "It was in the heart of the twilight."

The ball drove itself into the Sunken Diamond outfield grass, in front of the outfielders, and Rios scored easily from second base to send the Cardinal to the Men's College World Series and end Texas' season.

The Longhorns scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game at 6-6. Mitchell Daly, Peyton Powell and Campbell drove in runs to even the score, and then Campbell made the defensive play of the game to keep it that way. With one out, Stanford's Tommy Troy hit a fly ball to Campbell in right field. Campbell handled it with no problem and then unleashed a perfect one-hop throw to Powell at third base, who tagged Saborn Campbell out trying to advance. It ended the inning and kept the teams tied into the ninth.

"I'm just disappointed for our team," Pierce said. "It's tough to lose like that and it was such a hard-fought game. The guys played their hearts out."

Down 3-0 going into the fourth inning, Texas second baseman Jack O'Dowd tied the game with a 3-run double down the right field line. However, the Cardinal answered immediately with three more runs off reliever Zane Morehouse. who entered the game with no outs in the second inning for starter Tanner Witt. Morehouse put forth a valiant effort in his longest outing of the season, throwing 80 pitchers over six innings before Game 1 starting pitcher Lucas Gordon came in.

Gordon gave up a double with two outs to Rios, who initially thought he hit a walk-off home run and barely made it to second base safely amid confusion. Malcolm Moore walked to set up Bowser, who hit a 2-run home run off Witt in the second inning, to be the hero. What went down in the scorebook as an RBI single certainly didn't look the part, but in the end, it counted the same.

Kennedy went 3-for-5 while O'Dowd, Powell and Campbell had two hits each for the Longhorns. O'Dowd drove in three runs and had a pair of doubles.

Texas finishes the season with a 42-22 record. Stanford, the No. 8 national seed, will meet the top-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 16 at the Men's College World Series.