Georgia smothers Texas as Volchko shuts down late

No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Texas opened their College World Series paths on Saturday, June 13, with Georgia running through a pitching masterclass from Joey Volchko—113 pitches, a complete game, 15 strikeouts, and a 7-1 victory. The Bulldogs will advance to play

By the time the rain cleared and the first pitch finally arrived at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, Georgia looked ready for its moment—and Texas never fully caught up.

No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Texas met in the College World Series opener on Saturday. June 13. with the game pushed back 45 minutes after a brief weather delay. First pitch was set for 8:45 p.m. ET. When the night ended. the Bulldogs had stamped their authority early and finished with a pitching performance that turned Texas into a bystander.

Joey Volchko delivered a complete game on 113 pitches, allowing just four hits, one run, and one hit by pitch. His stat line carried the signature of a closer-like burst. too: 15 strikeouts. including three in the ninth inning to end the game for Georgia. Entering the ninth with a six-run lead, he retired Texas with authority to close the 7-1 scoreline.

Georgia’s first inning set the tone. The Bulldogs scored with Rylan Lujo’s two-run home run off the pole in left field. turning a promising start into a rout-like opening. Texas starter Dylan Volantis then loaded the bases with a walk. a hit by pitch. and an error. and Georgia capitalized when the Longhorns failed to cleanly escape the inning. After Carson Tinney dropped strike three and overthrew first base, two more runners scored for Georgia.

Texas did get on the board in the fifth inning. Ethan Mendoza singled to right field to score Adrian Rodriguez, giving Texas its only run against Volchko. But by then the damage had already been done. Georgia added three insurance runs in the seventh. as Lujo and Kenny Ishikawa combined for three RBI—enough to put the game away.

The inning-by-inning story kept returning to the same truth: Volchko was simply too hard to solve. In the third inning. he sat Texas down in order. forcing a pop-up to the shortstop by Tre Phelps and striking out Dariyan Pendergrass. He kept pushing the strikeout totals higher while limiting traffic: six strikeouts through three innings and only one hit allowed with no walks so far.

Even when Texas managed to put a ball in play, the Longhorns’ mistakes kept snapping back into Georgia’s momentum. Texas was still making errors and missing key execution points across early innings. including a dropped third strike by Carson Tinney in the first frame that immediately led to runs. At one point. Ethan Mendoza was called out on strikes after failing to set up in the batter’s box at the 8-second mark of the pitch clock in an 0-2 count.

Volantis, meanwhile, had the harder job of keeping his side afloat. Georgia’s offense struck again and again after its four-run first inning. and Volantis kept surrendering the kind of damage that doesn’t disappear just because an inning ends. He finished the night having allowed seven runs (two earned) on four hits. one walk and four hit by pitches. with nine strikeouts. He was relieved by Brett Crossland after the rally had expanded beyond a manageable point.

Georgia’s win also came with a late moment of uncertainty for Texas. Ethan Mendoza led off the top of the eighth inning with a single but exited after suffering an apparent injury. He was holding his thumb and being looked at by a trainer before being replaced by pinch runner Callum Early.

By the time Georgia’s offense added two more runs in the eighth—after Kenny Ishikawa chopped one just over the first baseman—Texas was already out of reach. Georgia led 7-1 after the two-RBI single, and the game moved toward its end.

The outcome instantly rearranged the College World Series bracket. Georgia advanced to play Oklahoma, while Texas will fall into the loser’s bracket against No. 7 Alabama.

Oklahoma, who will face Georgia on Monday, June 15, had already beaten Alabama earlier that day in a 9-0 romp. Oklahoma had not faced Georgia this season, but it was swept by Texas earlier this year in Austin, Texas.

The night began with a delay, shifted to a first pitch at 8:45 p.m. ET, and then quickly turned into something more definitive than a matchup—Georgia’s pitching and early execution turned a highly anticipated game into a one-sided launch pad for the Bulldogs in Omaha.

College World Series Georgia Bulldogs Texas Longhorns Joey Volchko Dylan Volantis Omaha Charles Schwab Field Omaha NCAA baseball Oklahoma Alabama