Auburn’s Big Bats Doom Oklahoma in Sunday Rubber Game in Run Rule Loss

Once the cracks appeared, the dam broke on The Plains for the Oklahoma Sooners.

A third- and fourth-inning home run derby helped No. 6 Auburn beat No. 9 Oklahoma 14-4 in eight innings on Sunday at Auburn, and allowed the Tigers to win the series. Six home runs, four doubles and 14 hits were too much for the Sooners to overcome.

OU (29-14, 11-10) led 2-0 early but the bats went cold. Skip Johnson's pitching, which had performed well in the first two games of the series, gave up hit after hit as Oklahoma watched the lead quickly morph to a big deficit.

Cord Rager made his second start since returning from a lat injury that sidelined him for the previous two weekends. His day was a mixed bag of brilliance and frustration, giving up three home runs and four runs in all. It wasn't meant to be for the freshman lefty, who pitched three innings and struck out four batters.

Oklahoma Sooners, Cord Rager — Oklahoma pitcher Cord Rager | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Jaxon Willits put the Sooners on the board first with a single into left field to score Jason Walk and advance Deiten LaChance. Camden Johnson came to the plate after Willits and immediately doubled down the right field line to score LaChance.

Auburn got on the board when Bub Terrell hit the fifth Tiger home run of the series on the first pitch from Rager in the bottom of the second. With Oklahoma leading 2-1, Rager retired the next three batters with two ground outs and a strike out.

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OU wasn't able to hold on to the lead much longer when Chase Fralick hit his second home run of the series — his ninth of the season — this time a two-run shot to take the lead at 3-2.

The third inning was all Auburn as Ethin Bingaman hit a solo home run after Rager retired the second Tiger batter. Once the dust settled, the Sooners found themselves down 4-2 heading into the fourth.

Things were much the same in the fourth inning. Auburn's Eric Guevara hit an RBI double to increase the lead. Then with two outs and runners on the corners, Bingaman hit his second home run of the game to stretch the lead to 8-2.

Outside of a walk in the second inning, OU went four consecutive innings three up, three down until the sixth, when Willits reached first on an error followed by Camden Johnson's single, his ninth hit of the series.

Jason Walk, Oklahoma Sooners — Jason Walk heads back to the dug out. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Guevara's second home run of the series put two more runs on the board in the sixth with Auburn leading 10-2.

Oklahoma found life in the seventh when Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin had a single and a double on back-to-back at bats. With Walk earning first via a walk, OU had bases loaded and no outs. Gambill earned an RBI of a sacrifice fly.

That would be the extent of the Sooners' scoring as LaChance and Willits would fly out to end the inning.

Nolan Stevens hit a solo home run, the first of the series for Oklahoma in the eighth to cut the lead at 10-4 Auburn.

Oklahoma Sooners, Nolan Stevens — Oklahoma outfielder Nolan Stevens swings against Arizona State. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Auburn scored on a fielder's choice with bases loaded in the eighth. With one out and runners on the corners, Bingaman homered once again to increase the lead to 14-4, ending the match in a run rule.

The Sooners will play their final midweek game of the season against Texas Tech on Tuesday. First pitch will be 6:30 p.m. at Riders Field in Frisco, TX. Oklahoma will then host the Florida Gators at Kimrey Family Stadium beginning on Friday, May 1.

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