No. 14 Oklahoma Rallies for Win Over Oral Roberts Behind Willits’ Grand Slam

The Sooners got a clutch hit from Jaxon Willits to give them their first lead of Tuesday's game, one they never surrendered.

Oklahoma infielder Jaxon Willits hits a ball against Oral Roberts. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.

But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.

Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6. 

The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.

In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.

The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.

Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.

Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.

---

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

---

Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.

Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.

Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings. 

After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.

OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.

Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.

The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.