It would've been understandable if members of the Texas baseball team started to feel some deja vu — and not in a good way — about the idea of an 8-7 lead. On Friday, with East Carolina leading 8-7, Texas nearly tied the game up with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but East Carolina third baseman Alec Makarewicz flashed some leather and ended the inning with an impressive put-out. Two pitches later, Makarewicz homered, with some help from a Texas outfielder's glove, and the Pirates won Game 1 of the super regionals 13-7.
On Saturday, Texas took an 8-7 lead into the top of the ninth after the Longhorns scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth, which put them just three outs away from evening the series. But East Carolina's Jacob Starling homered with two outs in the eighth to tie the game 8-8.
It could've been the start of stories in Austin, Tex., about the perils of an 8-7 lead (or deficit, in Friday's case), but the Longhorns had the final word as right fielder Dylan Campbell hit a two-out, bases-loaded single down the right-field line to knock in teammate Ivan Melendez for the winning run, 9-8. Campbell finished the day 3 for 5 at the plate with two RBI and one run scored as Texas forced a win-or-go-home Game 3 on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
The hit capped off a furious comeback as Texas trailed East Carolina 7-2 through six and a half innings, as the Longhorns were potentially nine outs away from their season ending.
You can watch the walk-off below.
WE PLAY NINE. @dylancamp25 WALKS IT OFF AND WE’LL SEE Y’ALL TOMORROW. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/8dC9bgz8UR
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) June 11, 2022
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