No. 6 Texas stayed alive in the Men's College World Series on Monday with a 14-2 win over No. 7 Alabama, and Adrian Rodriguez turned the night into something rare. Rodriguez went 5-for-5 and drove in seven runs, becoming only the third player ever to hit for the cycle at the College World Series.
For Texas, the result mattered because the College World Series is a double-elimination tournament, and this win kept the Longhorns in contention to extend the SEC's streak of national championships. The game also gave readers the answer they were looking for after Sunday's action, when unseeded Troy beat Ole Miss 12-8 and stayed alive too, leaving Alabama in the bracket line for the next elimination decision.
Rodriguez's cycle is the kind of performance that can change the feel of a postseason in one game. He was perfect at the plate against Alabama, and Texas needed every bit of it because the margin was not just about advancing once more; it was about surviving long enough to keep the path open. The remaining College World Series games will air on, so the next turn in the bracket will play out in front of a wider audience.
The friction in the bracket is simple now: Troy survived Sunday, Texas survived Monday, and the next loss will sort out which team becomes the second to go. That is what gives this result its edge. Texas did not merely avoid elimination. It forced the rest of the field to keep answering a growing question about who can stay alive one more round.
