Fast Start Gets Win for Texas

David Maroul’s three-run double highlighted Texas’ five-run first inning, and Seth John- ston and Dooley Prince had four hits apiece to lead the Longhorns to a 9-3 victory over Georgia in the College World Series on Sunday night at Omaha.

The top-seeded Longhorns earned the inside track to a spot in the best-of-three championship series. They will go to the finals next weekend if they beat the winner of Tuesday’s Georgia-Arizona game.

Texas (57-13), which beat Arkansas 13-2 in the first round, has outscored its opponents by a combined 71-21 in seven NCAA tournament games. The Longhorns are batting .361 in the tournament.

“Before, we would have just one or two guys come up big for us,” Johnston said. “Now there are four or five guys through the lineup who are stepping up.”

The Longhorns’ first three batters reached against starter Sean Ruthven, who needed 55 pitches in the opening inning.

Johnston and Carson Kainer drove in runs before Maroul’s bases-loaded double into the left-field corner gave Texas a 5-0 lead.

“That five-run first inning gave us momentum,” Texas Coach Augie Garrido said. “There were a lot of good at-bats, but none better than Maroul’s two-strike battle before his double. And then when they made their run at us, we countered it.”

Georgia is 44-22.

Arizona 7, Arkansas 2 -- Jordan Brown hit two of the Wildcats’ four home runs in an elimination game.

“To me, as long as I’m playing on a stage like this, where I’m hitting doesn’t really mean much as long as I get my hacks,” Brown said.

He was 0 for 13 in a super-regional against Long Beach State and struck out three times and had two singles in Friday’s first-round loss to Georgia.

John Meloan (10-0) and Mark Melancon combined to hold Arkansas to five hits.

Arizona is 36-26-1. Arkansas ends its season 45-24.