Jared Mitchell proved a lot of doubters wrong Monday night.

The left-handed hitting junior from New Iberia hit a game-tying triple off Texas lefty Austin Wood, helping LSU rally for a 7-6, 11-inning win over the Longhorns in Game 1 of the College World Series best-of-three championship finals in Omaha, Neb.

“Everything Jared and myself have been hearing, he’s having trouble hitting left-handed pitching,” said Mitchell’s father, Craig, in a telephone interview after the game. “I told him, ‘That’s between your ears. You have to concentrate just like it’s a right-hander.’”

LSU outfielders Mikie Mahtook, left, Leon Landry and Jared Mitchell, right, celebrate after LSU defeated Texas 7-6 Monday in 11 innings in Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series best-of-three baseball finals, in Omaha, Neb. The teams play again today at 6 p.m. - Associated Press / Ted Kirk Advertisement

Texas had taken a 3-1 lead on three solo home runs in the bottom of the fourth inning off LSU starter Louis Coleman. In the top of the sixth, with the Tigers still trailing by two runs, Blake Dean and Micah Gibbs hit back-to-back singles with one out before Mikie Mahtook struck out swinging.

With Mitchell next up to hit and batting more than 100 points less against left-handed pitchers than right-handed pitchers for the season, Texas coach Auggie Garrido opted to bring in the southpaw Wood, his closer. After fouling off one pitch, Mitchell laced a line drive to the gap in left-center field to tie the score at 3-3, racing to third base for the easy triple.

“I told him (before the game), ‘You’ve got to come to your comfort zone,’” said Craig Mitchell. “I think he’s real comfortable.”

Though Texas answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 5-3, and matched LSU’s single run in the seventh with another solo home run, the Longhorns’ fifth of the game, the Tigers rallied in the ninth with D.J. LeMahieu doubling down the left-field line with two out to tie the score at 6-6.

“I figured LSU was going to get a hit,” said Craig Mitchell, who is at the CWS along with wife Debra, older son Derek and Debra’s sister from Dallas. “I just knew LSU was going to get a hit, and they did.”

In fact, he sticks to his prediction made before the final series that LSU would win two straight to claim the school’s sixth national championship.

“I think we’ll be in a little better shape pitching,” said Mitchell.

“Texas used five or six pitchers. I’m looking forward to us going ahead and finishing this thing.”

He expects another wild game, though. With the heat index at 107 degrees at gametime, and the drama of Monday’s first game, everyone was worn out at the end, even the fans.

“I’m soaking wet,” he said. “You’d think I was playing ball.”

The bottom line was getting the first win, though.

“LSU came through,” Mitchell said. “Texas answered (LSU’s runs), and LSU answered when it counted.

“That was a real good game. We had to play come-from-behind. The atmosphere was wild, all through the whole game.”