Hollingsworth, Hinojosa lead Baseball past UC Irvine, 1-0

Wednesday, June 18

Omaha, Neb.

7 p.m.

University of Texas

45-20

UC Irvine

41-25

Texas Longhorns

UC Irvine

C.J Hinojosa provided the game's only run with a solo homer

Hollingsworth, Hinojosa lead Baseball past UC Irvine, 1-0

06.18.2014 | Baseball

Box Score

Hollingsworth pitches 8 1/3 shutout innings; Hinojosa provides game's only run with solo homer

Photo gallery

OMAHA, Neb. --

Shortstop C.J Hinojosa blasted the first home run of the College World Series and starting pitcher Chad Hollingsworth tossed 8 1/3 shutout innings to lead Texas to a 1-0 win over UC Irvine in a College World Series elimination game Wednesday night.

The Longhorns (45-20) move on to face Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Friday on ESPNU, needing to knock off the Commodores twice to advance to the championship series. If the Longhorns win Friday, the teams would meet again Saturday at 2 p.m.

Hollingsworth (4-0, 1.15) followed his spectacular complete game in the regional championship with arguably a better performance. He pitched 8 1/3 innings of no run ball while allowing four hits, no walks and striking out a career-high five batters. In Hollingsworth's two starts in NCAA Tournament play, he has thrown 17 1/3 innings, allowed no earned runs, six hits and five walks while striking out eight.

Hinojosa, meanwhile, provided the game's only run with a solo homer in the seventh inning. It marked the first home run of the 2014 College World Series and broke a streak of 115 straight innings of CWS play without a long ball.

Hollingsworth, who had pitched exclusively in relief for Texas before making his first start of the season vs. Texas A&M on June 2, allowed just two UCI runners to reach scoring position all evening. The Anteaters had chances to tie it when they put their leadoff man on base in the eighth and ninth, but both times Texas worked out of it.

In the eighth, Hollingsworth hit the leadoff batter with a pitch and saw the runner move into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. But Hollingsworth stranded the runner there, inducing a pop out and a ground out to end the inning. In the ninth, Hollingsworth allowed a leadoff single and got a line out before Texas went to the bullpen for Travis Duke. For the second time in as many games, Duke came on and picked up the save, retiring both batters he faced to end the game.

The game was a pitcher's duel throughout, with Hollingsworth battling UC Irvine starter Evan Manarino. The two continued to trade zeros through the sixth inning as neither pitcher allowed a runner to reach second base until the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs. However, that lasted only one pitch, as Hollingsworth struck out Irvine catcher Jeremy McClanahan to end the threat.

Texas looked like they had something going in the top of the sixth inning with one out, when left fielder Ben Johnson ripped an apparent extra-base hit down the left field line and ended up on third base. However, Irvine appealed that Johnson never touched first base and the umpire agreed, ruling Johnson out. Center fielder Mark Payton followed with a single to center, but Texas could not surmount a two-out rally from there.

The Longhorns quickly ended the shutout in the seventh inning by way of Hinojosa's homer to lead off the frame. Hinojosa worked a 2-0 count before smashing a fastball off the back wall of the UC Irvine bullpen in left field.

Earlier, a great defensive play had kept the game scoreless. In the bottom of the third inning with one out and a runner on first base, Anteater third baseman Taylor Sparks drove 1-1 delivery to deep right-center field that would have likely scored a run, but center fielder Mark Payton made a tremendous diving grab near the warning track to prevent any damage.