In-state rivals, Oklahoma and Oral Roberts faced each other in the NCAA Norman Regional opener at Dale Mitchell Park on Friday night, and the No. 9 ranked (No. 1 seed in the Regional) Sooners pummeled ORU, 14-0.
OU (39-19) was dominant in all aspects of the game. Pitchers Kyson Witherspoon and Carter Campbell combined for OU’s sixth shutout of the season with a total of 11 strikeouts and allowed only three ORU hits. ORU dropped to 27-31 on the season.
The OU offense registered 17 hits with seven going for extra bases, including three home runs. It was the first postseason shutout for OU since 2018.
“Us scoring an early run was really big,” said OU head coach Skip Johnson. “Kyson (Witherspoon) settled in and made some really big pitches with men on base which is really a good sign of a great pitcher.”
In the Sooners’ second game of the regional, the No. 3-seed UConn Huskies prevailed to beat Oklahoma, 4-1.
OU starting pitcher Braden Davis suffered his first loss in his last eight starts. He surrendered three runs on seven hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts. It was his third double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
UConn scored one run in the third inning off a single and added three in the seventh on a three-run home run off OU right-handed pitcher Dylan Crooks after Davis exited with two on base.
OU’s lone run came on a solo homer from Kendall Pettis in the eighth, his fourth homer of the season.
The Sooners bounced back on Sunday and defeated Duke, 4-3, to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.
OU scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Rocco Garza-Gongora hit an RBI single up the middle to get things started for the Sooners. The next batter, Jason Walk, knocked in two runs with a triple to right-center field.
Duke scored a run in the first inning off an RBI single, and then A.J. Garcia hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to cut the Sooners’ lead.
With the win, OU advanced to a rematch with UConn on Sunday night. Once again, the Sooners staved off elimination with a 6-4 win over the Huskies, setting up a winner-take-all regional final Monday night.
The Sooners (40-20) were set to face UConn (34-24) Monday at 8:00 p.m. for a spot in the NCAA Tallahassee Super Regional vs. Florida State.
“It was a good day for the Sooners. We started out the day just wanting to win pitches and win innings,” said OU head coach Skip Johnson.
OU gave up two runs in the first inning, before scoring a single run in the top of the second inning off a Scott Mudler RBI single.
UConn plated two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead, then OU answered with a two-run homer from Michael Snyder to tie the game.
The Sooners brought three more runs across in the eighth inning to take the win.
On Monday night, OU faced UConn once again, this time with the regional title on the line, and the Sooners came up short as the Huskies won 7-1, ending OU’s season (40-21).
UConn scored four runs in the fourth inning and two in the fifth to jump out to a 6-0 lead.
UConn’s (35-24) starting pitcher Gabe Van Emon threw seven scoreless innings with just two walks and five hits allowed.
“We just didn’t play very good tonight,” said OU head coach Skip Johnson. “We just never could really sustain a rally. Hats off to UConn. They did a great job and they’re moving forward. They have a good ball club, I look forward to watching them in the Super Regional.”
The Sooners’ lone run came in the bottom of the ninth inning on a ground out double play that scored Easton Carmichael from third base.
“Our year came to an end. We had a good year,” Johnson said. “I’m proud of the coaches and I’m proud of all these guys right here. They set a mark on the program. The fans were incredible. That’s what it takes to be in the SEC. If we have the fan support we did the last half of the year, I’m so excited about that moving forward. I’m just proud of the guys for fighting and continuing to fight.”