Texas 6 Virginia 2: Melendez, Zubia offer resilient late at bats to advance the Longhorns
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For much of the 2021 season, Texas has prided itself on its resiliency. It bounced back from a dismal opening weekend and played well during the month of March. It bounced back from a loss at Texas A&M to go on a lengthy winning streak in April. It bounced back from losing two of three versus Texas Tech to take home a share of the Big 12 title.
Resiliency has been the hallmark of this Longhorn team, and that continued Thursday (and part of Friday) in the College World Series against the Virginia Cavaliers.
After failing time and time again at the plate versus Mississippi State, Texas plated eight runs in an elimination game versus Tennessee. But before that contest against the Volunteers, dating back to the regionals in Austin, Zach Zubia and Ivan Melendez struggled at the plate.
Against Virginia on Thursday night, it was that duo’s turn to show resiliency. Melendez hammered a first-pitch fastball for an RBI single in the eighth to give Texas a 3-2 lead, then Zubia snapped a 0-for-Omaha stretch with a bases-clearing double in the top of the ninth to give Texas a 6-2 lead. Aaron Nixon closed out the ninth against the ‘Hoos, setting up a rematch with Mississippi State later Friday evening.
“They’re just such factors in our lineup because they’re the bangers,” Texas head coach David Pierce said of Melendez and Zubia. “We’ve got some speed guys, and they’ve got to be the guys that are able to get the runners in and clutch hit. Just really, hats off to both of them for continuing to put the work in and giving themselves and our team an opportunity there.”
With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth, Melendez came to the plate with runners on first and second. He was 1-for-6 in the first two games in Omaha but had doubled earlier in Thursday’s contest. Pierce pulled him aside from the third base coaches’ box prior to his at bat.
Pierce gave Melendez a reminder that UVA pitcher Matt Wyatt tended to quickly come set and fire to the plate before offering this advice.
“He just came up to me told me he wanted me to slow the game down, slow my heart rate down, and tell me how great a hitter I am before I got in the box,” Melendez said.
Melendez hit a first-pitch fastball up the middle to score Mike Antico from second.
“For the past couple of weeks, I was slumping it,” Melendez said. “Sending that one against Mississippi State, I hit one to the warning track. Hit one to the warning track against Tennessee. I was drawing a few walks, so I was seeing the ball better. I wasn’t getting the best results but that’s a start.”
The next inning, Texas loaded the bases after Douglas Hodo III walked, Eric Kennedy singled, and Silas Ardoin was hit by a pitch. Antico lined a ball off the UVA third baseman that was fielded by shortstop Nic Kent and relayed home to retire Hodo III on an impressive play.
Cam Williams struck out, bringing Zubia to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs.
The count reached 2-2, and Zach Messinger threw a breaking pitch Zubia didn’t offer at. The pitch was called a ball, setting up a full count.
“I was just going up there, trying to react,” Zubia said. “The guy had good stuff on the mound. And I was just trying to go up there, react, put a good swing on whatever pitch was coming. I wasn’t looking for anything specific. I was just ready to react to whatever pitch was thrown and try to get that run in any way possible.”
He received a fastball and smashed it to the gap in left center. It one-hopped the wall and cleared the bases. Texas took a 6-2 lead, all Nixon needed to close out the game.
Since he was 3-for-4 as part of a beatdown of Southern to open the NCAA tournament, Zubia was 3 for his last 29 entering his ninth-inning at bat. In that situation, going 1-for-1 with three RBI was a huge confidence boost for the redshirt junior and indicative of the team’s overall resiliency throughout the year.
“I’m going to be the first one to say, obviously my College World Series start hasn’t been the greatest,” Zubia said. “But that’s just a credit to my teammates, to my coaches just to have my back, keeping me mentally right, keep on telling me that you’re going to come up in a big situation. And obviously that’s what happened.”
The events all unfolded after a weather delay moved the game from a 6 p.m. start time to 9:45 p.m. Pete Hansen toed the rubber to start, going 5.2 innings and allowing two earned runs off a two-run homer by UVA’s Chris Newell in the fifth.
Newell’s shot tied the game at 2-2 after Kennedy scored on a wild pitch in the previous half-inning. Hodo III drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the second.
Cole Quintanilla and Nixon combined for 3.1 shutout innings in relief.
Texas faces Mississippi State once again on Friday, needing to defeat the Bulldogs twice in two days to advance to the championship series.
If the Longhorns play the way they have all year and offer a similar resiliency Melendez and Zubia showed in their at bats, they’ll be a tough out.
“I’m just proud of our team,” Pierce said. “You never know how it’s going to happen, but we always have the mindset we’ll figure it out. Some way we’re going to try to figure out how to win this thing.”
Cover photo courtesy of the NCAA
