Sprinklers come on during Texas vs. Stanford Super Regional matchup, briefly delay game

A strange scene unfolded in the sixth inning of a Super Regional game between Texas and Stanford on Sunday evening. Something triggered the sprinklers at Klein Field to go off in the middle of the game, resulting in a brief delay.

Cardinal coach David Esquer looked dumbfounded as he stook beside an umpire and took in the moment, which you can view below.

We've sprung a leak in Stanford!#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/frb2lsvEn1

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 12, 2023

Thankfully, the sprinklers didn’t delay the game as long as it would if it were actually raining, as things resumed just minutes later. Still, you don’t see this every day, and players and coaches from both sides certainly seemed surprised

The sixth inning came to a close shortly after, with Stanford holding on to a 5-2 lead heading into the seventh. The Cardinal need a win to avoid elimination and keep their chances of a College World Series berth alive.

Sunday’s game started out neck-and-neck with the scored tied at 2 heading into the fifth inning. However, Texas would allow three Stanford runs during that stretch, including a two-RBI home run from Drew Bowser as the Cardinal jumped ahead 5-2.

Texas went on to add a run in the seventh to cut the deficit to 5-3. That is currently still the score as Stanford is once again up to bat in the ninth inning. The Cardinal will no doubt enter the inning on edge given what happened Saturday in Game 1, as the Longhorns scored five runs in the final stretch to secure a 7-5 comeback win.

Texas coach David Pierce talks the development of pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr.

Texas coach David Pierce went to Lebarron Johnson as the starting pitcher for in Sunday’s Game 2 against Stanford as the Longhorns aim for the series sweep. He pitched 4.1 innings before Travis Sthele entered in relief with the Cardinal holding a narrow 3-2 lead.

Johnson allowed seven hits, struck out four and also walked four before being pulled in the top of the fifth. Shortly before that moment, Pierce joined the ESPN2 broadcast to offer his thoughts on how the pitcher has progressed since joining the team last season.

“Unbelievable,” the coach said. “This is a guy that came in and all he’s done is just paid attention. He’s like a sponge. Whatever you tell him, you better be right because he’s gonna try to do it. He works hard, he’s got a great arm, great body and is a great teammate.”

Lebarron Johnson redshirted last season after committing to play for Texas out of Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Florida. He saw his first action this season, appearing in 19 games with 12 starts with an 8-3 record. He ranks second on the team with 94 strikeouts and has an ERA of 2.62.