ARLINGTON — David Pierce doesn’t serve on the NCAA Tournament selection committee. He’s too busy these days with coaching the Texas baseball team, anyway.
However, Pierce was ready to name Austin as an NCAA regional host site on Saturday night after his Longhorns earned a 9-2 win over Oklahoma State at Globe Life Field.
That win advanced Texas into a matchup with rival Oklahoma in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament. The Longhorns improved their record to 42-18 and maintained a top-15 RPI.
“I think we’re definite hosts, I honestly do,” Pierce said. “Résumé says it. We’re playing in the championship of the Big 12. I definitely think we should host.”
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Pete Hansen and Lucas Gordon weren’t going to pitch in Saturday’s semifinal showdown. Hansen had thrown 122 pitches in UT’s tournament opener on Wednesday, and Gordon had a 108-pitch start the following day.
But after the Cowboys forced a decisive game in the double-elimination competition with an 8-1 win over UT on Saturday morning, Pierce said that every other player on his pitching staff was available. Five pitchers then made an appearance against the Cowboys.
Andre Duplantier II, Jared Southard and Luke Harrison got Texas through the sixth inning, each throwing between 37-40 pitches. Marcus Olivarez worked the next two innings before Tristan Stevens closed out a tournament game for the third time this week.
In total, Texas held Oklahoma State to five hits and two runs. The Cowboys were averaging 7.3 runs and 10.1 hits per game.
“The story of the game for me is our bullpen,” Pierce said. “We pieced it together and I’m really proud of them because they’ve had some hits this year. Honestly, they did their jobs and did a great job.”
More: Problems persist in the Longhorns bullpen as Texas is swept by Oklahoma State
Seven of the eight runs that were scored over the first three innings belonged to Texas. It’s unlikely that UT considered that lead safe, though. The Longhorns were less than a month removed from a 10-8 loss to the Cowboys in which Texas squandered a seven-run advantage. Southard, Harrison and Olivarez all pitched in that debacle.
But the Longhorns fared much better Saturday. Oklahoma State mustered three hits, drew five walks and scored just once against the relievers who followed Duplantier.
The closest that Oklahoma State got to forcing a feeling of déjà vu was in the fourth frame. With two outs, Harrison relieved Southard but immediately issued a bases-loading walk. The freshman left-hander rebounded and got Oklahoma State power hitter Jake Thompson to ground out.
“This bullpen has taken some hits throughout the course of the year, but we just keep telling our staff to keep believing in each other and to keep going,” Stevens said. “If there’s a time to put it all together, why not now heading into postseason?”
Texas finished with 11 hits and five Longhorns drove in a run. In its earlier setback on Saturday, UT struggled offensively and was only able to drive in one of the seven leadoff hitters it got aboard.
“We all know what had to be done and I think as a team, we understood that,” shortstop Trey Faltine said. “Going into the game, we knew what was at stake and what was at stake for tomorrow. We just came out and played our game.”
Key play: After Texas loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning, Oklahoma State starting pitcher Hueston Morrill hit a batter before reliever Kale Davis struck out two Longhorns. Faltine then blew the game open with a three-run double for a 6-1 advantage.
Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday later called that hit “a clutch double.” Faltine finished with three hits, four RBIs and two doubles.
Notable number: 2. Morrill committed two fielding errors in the first three innings. Those errors led to five unearned runs.
Up next: Texas and Oklahoma (36-20) will play for the Big 12 title at 5 p.m. on Sunday. This marks the fourth time that the Red River rivals will meet at Globe Life Field this season. Texas won two of the three games that it played in early April against OU at the ballpark in Arlington.
The regional sites for the NCAA Tournament are set to be announced at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. That announcement will likely come during
the Texas-OU game.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas to play for Big 12 baseball title after beating Oklahoma State