Adrian Rodriguez's embarrassing strikeout catapulted Georgia to CWS victory over Texas

Georgia kept their season alive at the College World Series by beating Texas for a second time on Tuesday 2-0. This matchup was an instant classic that featured two elite pitchers and lineups that were struggling to put the ball in play.

One player who wasn't struggling to put the ball in play was Adrian Rodriguez who was the hottest player at the College World Series for Texas. Unfortunately he spoiled his great run in Omaha with an embarrassing strikeout in the fourth inning that ultimately led to Georgia's victory.

Adrian Rodriguez's foolish moment led Georgia to their CWS victory

Rodriguez was the hottest hitter in the country. He already torched Georgia multiple times in the two games they played and hit for the cycle against Alabama, so he had every right to feel really confident stepping up to the plate.

But why is he acting like this? Sure he was hot, but Texas already lost to Georgia and they were facing elimination. On top of that this game was still tied 0-0, so making all these gestures while at the plate was probably the last thing he should do.

Rodriguez was up 3-0 in the count, so he began shaking his head at Georgia’s pitcher and making silly gestures to him. So what happened next?

On the next pitch he unconventionally kicked his leg out over home plate and took a pitch he thought was ball four only for the umpire to call a strike. He then chased strike two way out of the zone before taking the final pitch thinking he walked again only to strike out and get sent back to the dugout.

All of this unfolded in the bottom of the fourth inning right before Georgia scored their first run of the game in top of the fifth. Should Rodriguez be blamed for this run and eventual Georgia victory? Probably not, but it’s also a little too convenient that Georgia immediately scored after Rodriguez embarrassed himself at the plate.

Georgia’s culture will always trump the antics of their opponent

Rodriguez and Texas will head home now where they will get to watch Georgia continue their run at the College World Series. Maybe things would’ve gone different had Rodriguez not spoiled his impressive performances during this strikeout, but this moment led Georgia to realize how much better their culture is than their opponents.

Joey Volchko had an equally impressive performance during his start against Texas on Saturday. Did he do anything ridiculous like this on the field? No at all. Instead it was his teammates who chose to celebrate his gem after the game instead of trying to gather as much attention on himself as possible.

This culture difference is one of the reasons why Georgia beat Texas twice. This difference is why Georgia is still playing in Omaha and Texas is at home sitting on their couches. And it is this difference that could lead to a National Championship for Georgia.

Up next for Georgia at the CWS is a rematch with Oklahoma. First pitch for their next game is scheduled for 7:00 pm EST on Wednesday, June 17.

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