OMAHA, Neb. — Wade Townsend struck out 10 and gave up two hits in the last six innings Monday night, and Rice used a seven-run sixth inning to pull away to a 12-2 victory at the College World Series.
The Owls (55-11) will play the winner of Tuesday's game between Texas (49-19) and Miami (45-16-1) on Wednesday. The Texas-Miami loser will be eliminated.
The loss was Texas' second-worst in 119 CWS games. The Longhorns' most lopsided defeat was an 11-run loss to Arizona in 1963.
It was the first loss in six CWS games for the defending national champions, who won four straight last year and beat Miami 13-2 in their Series opener Saturday.
Townsend (11-1) gave up two runs in the opening inning, then settled down and dominated the Longhorns. He came within one out of pitching his first complete game.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound sophomore retired eight straight batters in one stretch. After Taylor Teagarden's sixth-inning double, Townsend set down 10 more in a row before pinch-hitter Michael Hollimon's ground-rule double with two out in the ninth.
Townsend, who allowed seven hits, left with two out in the ninth after walking Tim Moss. David Aardsma came on and needed only one pitch to get the final out.
Texas' seven pitchers walked nine and hit four batters. The number of pitchers used and hit batsmen equaled CWS records.
MIAMI 7, SOUTHWEST MISSOURI ST. 5: Joey Hooft and Jim Burt homered and reliever Shawn Valedez-Fauli shut down Southwest Missouri State, leading Miami's 7-5 victory in a College World Series elimination game Monday.
The Hurricanes (45-16-1) play Tuesday against the loser of the Rice-Texas matchup later Monday. SMS (40-26) went two games and out in its first CWS appearance.
Miami took a 6-2 lead into the eighth inning, but it was a one-run game after Shaun Marcum's three-run homer into the left-field bleachers off George Huguet.
Valdes-Fauli came on and got pinch-hitter Scott Nasby to ground out, ending the inning.
The Hurricanes added a run in the ninth on Brian Barton's RBI single. Then Valdes-Fauli finished off the Bears by striking out Dant'e Brinkley and Brooks Colvin and getting Rick Wilson on a comebacker.
Vince Bongiovanni (8-4) got the win after giving up two runs on nine hits in six innings. Valdes-Fauli earned his fifth save.
Brad Ziegler (12-2) lost, allowing seven hits and four runs in six innings. Only two of the runs against him were earned.