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College World Series: Stanford advances on walk-off after Texas player loses ball in the lights

jack baer
Staff writer
·2 min read
186
Stanford's Drew Bowser, right, celebrates with Malcolm Moore after hitting a single to score the winning run against Texas in the ninth inning of an NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game in Stanford, Calif., Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
It's not how anyone wants to win, but Stanford gladly took it against Texas on Monday. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

There is no good way to lose a trip to the College World Series, but Texas baseball found one of the worst ways Monday.

With their best-of-three Super Regional series against Stanford tied 1-1, the Longhorns found themselves on the verge of a walk-off loss in the ninth inning of the winner-take-all Game 3. After opening the frame with two straight outs, Texas pitcher Lucas Gordon allowed a double to Stanford's Alberto Rios and walked Malcolm Moore.

Fortunately, Gordon got what he needed to get out of the inning with an easy fly ball from Drew Bowser. Unfortunately, Texas right field Dylan Campbell lost the ball in the lights.

After a couple of seconds of helpless looking, Campbell watched the very catchable ball land several feet away from him to give Stanford a 6-5 walk-off win. As the Stanford players celebrated, multiple Texas players doubled over in disbelief, while Campbell put his heads in his hands.

Because balls lost in the lights are traditionally scored as hits, the play was recorded as an RBI single and not an error on Campbell.

Stanford, which saw controversy in the previous game after starting pitcher Quinn Matthews threw 156 pitches, will advance to face No. 1-ranked Wake Forest in Omaha, with games scheduled to begin Friday.

Campbell's huge season ends with a nightmare

Texas' season ends on a bad play from arguably its best player.

Campbell finished the season hitting .339/.436/.603 with 13 homers, 65 runs, 49 RBI and 25 stolen bases, with a 38-game hit streak, standout defense in right field and the local paper saying he "may be the best right fielder in school history."

In fact, he was a huge reason the Longhorns had a chance in the ninth inning in the first place. One inning earlier, Campbell tied the game with a two-out single.

In the bottom of the inning, Campbell made maybe the throw of the year to get Stanford's Saborn Campbell at third base to end the frame.

It is always tempting to judge an athlete based on what happened last, but anyone saying Dylan Campbell is the reason Texas lost would be ignoring so much of what happened earlier in the game, not to mention the rest of the season.