College World Series : Miami Beats Texas; Teams Play Again Tonight

Don Rowland scored Miami’s second unearned run in the bottom of the eighth, and reliever Ric Raether snuffed out a ninth-inning rally to end Texas’ streak of come-from-behind wins in a 2-1 College World Series game Sunday night.

Texas (64-13) and Miami (63-16) will meet tonight to decide the championship in the NCAA double-elimination tournament. Miami’s lone loss was to Texas, 8-4, Wednesday.

Texas, which had been behind in every game of the series, took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when David Denny led off with a double down the left-field line.

Denny moved to third on a ground out and scored on an infield error.

Miami evened the score at 1-1 when Chris Magno tripled after Texas’ Billy Bates dropped Magno’s foul pop fly down the right-field line with nobody out. Chris Hart then bunted Magno in one out later.

Miami put two runners on in the seventh with one out, but Texas starter Greg Swindell (19-2) worked his way out of a jam with a pop up and a strikeout.

Coby Kerlin walked and Bates bunted for a single to start the Longhorns’ eighth. Two outs later, Doug Hodo walked to load the bases, but Dodd Johnson popped up to end that threat off Miami relief ace Raether, who picked up his seventh win against two losses.

Don Rowland walked to lead off the Hurricanes’ eighth. He stole second and took third when the catcher’s throw went into center field.

Swindell then struck out the next two hitters and had two strikes on Rick Richardi, who hit a grounder down the third-base line. Texas third baseman Dodd Johnson bobbled the ball and Rowland scored the go-ahead run.

Texas challenged again in the top of the ninth when pinch-hitter Bobby Behnsch singled with two out. Kerlin walk to bring up Bates, who had two game-winning hits in Texas’ first four College World Series games. This time Raether struck out the Longhorn junior to preserve the win.