Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners Use Four Home Runs to Knock Off No. 13 Florida
One step closer.
After opening up the NCAA Tournament with a 16-3 thrashing of Liberty on Friday, Oklahoma looked to keep the momentum going into the winner’s bracket against the No. 13 Florida Gators.
The difference between a win and loss in this spot is monumental, with 81 percent of regional winners coming from teams that began 2-0.
That is certainly good news for the Sooners, who kept the good times rolling with another big win on Saturday taking down the Gators 9-4 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, FL.
David Sandlin got the start for Oklahoma on Saturday and would continue to train of success for OU starting pitching.
The right-hander worked six quality inning allowing just five hits and three runs while striking out six.
Although, similarly to yesterday, Oklahoma would fall behind early with Florida striking first in the second inning.
With a strikeout in between, the Gators jumped out a 2-0 lead on two solo home runs from Ty Evans and Jac Caglianone.
Despite the two early home runs allowed, Sandlin settled in nicely after that allowing just one run over his final four innings of work.
"I think throughout the year, I've learned to not let it snowball," Sandlin said postgame. "It's hard to win a game with (just) solo shots. So, just going out there I knew as long I kept it to solo shots and limit those free bases, we would catch up."
But, that deficit would not last long for the Sooners as they immediately responded with a four-run top of the third to take their first lead of the night.
Shortstop Peyton Graham first pulled the game even with a laser two-run home run to left field to make it 2-2.
First baseman Blake Robertson then made it back-to-back dingers with a solo shot right after Graham, vaulting OU in front 3-2.
Tanner Tredaway later scored the fourth run of the inning coming in from third base on a wild pitch to have the Sooners leading 4-2, a lead they would build on just one inning later.
Leading off the fourth, Kendall Pettis singled to left field, then stole second, was awarded third base on a balk followed by scoring on a wild pitch.
"Any time Kendall (Pettis) gets on, it's going to help our offense," head coach Skip Johnson said. "Really proud of what he's done this year."
The manufactured run made it 5-2 OU.
In the fifth, Jimmy Crooks added onto the lead with a towering blast to right field to extend the advantage to 6-2.
Crooks wasn’t done there, for after Florida got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, he crushed another home run to right field, this one a two-run shot, to make it 8-3 Sooners.
The Gators inched a little closer in the seventh with a solo home run from Mac Guscette, but Oklahoma didn't wait long to get that run back.
In the eighth, center fielder Tanner Tredaway continued his monster postseason with a two-out RBI single up the middle to make it 9-4 Sooners.
"I thought the offense was really good," head coach Skip Johnson said. "Every time they (Florida) scored, we scored. Which is really good."
That would go on to be the final score with Trevin Michael recording the final seven outs allowing just one hit and no runs to cross.
The impressive road win improves Oklahoma to 39-20 on the season and moves them to within one win of reaching the Super Regionals.
"It's my favorite thing to play on the road as much as I like playing in front of fans at home," Sandlin said. "To silence a road crowd, there's nothing that really beats that."
The Sooners will next face either Florida or Central Michigan in the regional finals on Sunday night at 6 p.m. CT back in Gainesville.
Should the Gators or Chippewas beat Oklahoma, the two teams would meet again on Monday afternoon.