Lebarron Johnson Jr., 5th round Colorado Rockies (Texas Athletics)

Coral Gables: Lebarron Johnson’s gem propels Texas to regional final

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Chrysler LeBaron luxury automobile lasted for exactly half a century.

Just as impressively, Lebarron Johnson Jr. lasted for every pitch that was required on Saturday night – 129 of them.

Johnson’s career highs in pitches and innings (nine) allowed his second-seeded Texas Longhorns to motor past the host Miami Hurricanes, 4-1, in a Coral Gables regional winner’s bracket game.

“He’s a T-Bird,” Texas coach David Pierce joked when talking about Johnson, continuing with the car theme.

Johnson’s performance – which included eight strikeouts against a loaded lineup that has hit the second-most homers in Hurricanes history — moved Texas[…]