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By John Manuel
June 17, 2002

Texas' newfound power was on display Monday night, as home runs by Jeff Ontiveros and J.D. Reininger helped slug the Longhorns past Stanford 8-7. With the victory, Texas joins Clemson as the two undefeated teams in the Series and forced Stanford into an elimination game Tuesday against Notre Dame.

The Longhorns (55-15) did it, as coach Augie Garrido said, in an offensive game "uncharacteristic of us."

"We did a much better job of laying off breaking balls off the plate, either forcing the pitcher into the zone or taking the walk," Garrido said. "We were still opportunistic, though, and didn't lose our aggressiveness in the zone."

However, the Longhorns didn't totally abandon their pitching-and-defense roots. Starter Alan Bomer threw six solid innings before leaving the game with a blister on his middle finger in the top of the seventh. And freshman closer Huston Street continued his fantastic season, getting the last six outs and striking out red-hot Cardinal catcher Ryan Garko to end the game.

"Alan threw well, and they still hit him pretty hard . . . And Street was whining about not being in the game yet, so we brought him in early," Garrido said. "He was a lot looser and had a lot better stuff tonight than the had (against Rice)."

They had plenty of support. Ontiveros, the 'Horns career home runs leader with 54, hit his 19th homer, a solo shot that tied the single-season mark set by Brooks Kieschnick in 1993. Reininger's shot, though, was the crusher, a two-run blast in the fourth inning that capped a four-run Texas two-out uprising.

Stanford starter Tim Cunningham (10-3) got the first two outs in the fourth, but walked No. 9 hitter Kalani Napoleon and leadoff man Tim Moss. Third baseman Omar Quintanilla followed with a run-scoring single, and Moss came home when Sam Fuld's throw to third got away from Scott Dragicevich. Reininger then got ahead in the count 3-1 and crushed a homer to right-center field.

"Reininger hit a fastball; Ontiveros hit a changeup that I thought was a decent pitch, but he got it up," Cunningham said. "I let the team down big time in probably the biggest game of the year. I did it to myself--I walked guys and hit guys, and gave up some big hits after I walked guys."

Reininger had an inauspicious debut in Omaha on Saturday, striking out four times against Rice in Texas' 2-1 victory. But against a lefthanded pitcher, Garrido moved him up in the order to the No. 3 spot, and he produced early, driving home the team's first run, and late, knocking in its last three with his homer and a sixth-inning sacrifice fly that proved to be the game-winner.

After Tim Moss led off the first with a single, he moved to second on Omar Quintanilla's walk and scored on Reininger's single to left. A hit batter and a fielder's choice brought in another Texas run for an early 2-0 lead, and Ontiveros' solo shot in the third made it 3-0. While the Cardinal got within a run in the fourth and the ninth, it never could tie the game.

"We gave them too much," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. "With the walks and hit batters, we gave them seven or eight free runners, and they got timely hits. They did a good job pitching and won some big spots."

As is usual for him in Omaha, Garko led the Stanford attack. He's now 11-for-20 (.556) the last two years in Series play, with seven RBIs. Three came Monday night as he was involved in all of Stanford's scoring, but Street got him with the game on the line. Garko singled home a run in the Cardinal's two-run fourth, was hit by a pitch and scored in a two-run sixth, and singled home a pair of runs off reliever Jesen Merle in the seventh as Stanford pulled within two.

It was a one-run game in the ninth when Garko faced Street. Pinch-hitter Jonny Ash walked on a full count to lead off the frame, moved up on a pair of infield ground outs. Sam Fuld came up with his third hit, a single to center, to score Ash, but Street spotted a fastball and slider for strikes to start Garko, then got him on a check swing on a breaking ball in the dirt to end the game.

"I won a couple of spots and didn't at the end," Garko said. "It's tough to drive the ball when you're down in the count 0-2. I was fortunate to get a couple of big hits early, but the last at-bat he got ahead with a good slider and a pitch that I thought was a ball, but it was a good pitch, on the black and at the knees. When you get down to a guy 0-2 to a guy with that stuff, it's tough to get a hit."

Garko will have at least one more game to pad his Omaha resume, though, when the Cardinal faces the Fighting Irish on Tuesday. Stanford will start righthander John Hudgins, while Notre Dame did not announce a starter.