Oklahoma Hangs On in Nashville to Win Series Thanks to a Clutch Kyle Branch RBI

The Oklahoma Sooners desperately needed this series against the Vanderbilt Commodores. After Texas swept them and they squandered chances against No. 11 Alabama in Norman, a victory in Nashville was non-negotiable.

Following a three-run shot to tie the game at five in the fifth, Kyle Branch's RBI-single down the third base line in the eighth put the No. 16 Sooners up for good but not without some drama. In the end, Oklahoma took the series with a 6-5 victory.

Oklahoma needed all of six stolen bases, eight hits and some fortunate bad throws by Vanderbilt.

At 24-11 and 7-8 in the SEC, OU has put themselves back in a better position. The Sooners are now 3-1 in rubber games in conference.

For the second week in a row, Skip Johnson held out third day starter Cord Rager. During pregame, Johnson reiterated that he "could probably force him to throw if we needed" but that he didn't want to risk further injury to his freshman as he deals with lat tenderness.

Jason Walk, Oklahoma Sooner — Oklahoma center fielder Jason Walk slides into second. | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As a result, Kadyn Leon (2-0) got the nod to start for Oklahoma. Leon set the tone early, retiring the first six Vanderbilt batters he faced in the first two innings, including four strikeouts.

Jason Walk notched a pair of firsts in the top of the third. His single marked the game's first hit — and his first home run of the season — giving Oklahoma a 1-0 lead.

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The Sooners hitting fortunes continued from there. With Jaxon Willits on after a walk, Trey Gambill doubled into right center to advance Willits to third. Brenden Brock singled into center field for an RBI-double, scoring Willits and Gambill — Brock tried turning two but was tagged at second.

The true test came next. Whenever OU has had success at the plate in this series, they turned right around to surrender runs when they took the field. That trend continued today.

Two walks and a hit by pitch led to bases loaded for the Commodores. Vanderbilt got their first run following a Mike Mancini grounder that led to a 6-4-3 double play. It was the Sooners'16th double play in SEC play — the best in the conference.

Vanderbilt got another run in the third following a wild pitch that got away from Brock. Once again, OU surrendered unearned runs after a great performance from the plate.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jaxon Willits — Oklahoma infielder Jaxon Willits slides into home plate against Gonzaga. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Oklahoma got another run on the board in the top of the fourth when Branch got his first hit of the series with an RBI-single.

Nate Smithburg came on in the fourth to relieve Leon after he came down to earth to an extent. Smithburg calmed things down quickly with two strikeouts and a fly out. He followed that up with two strikeouts in the fifth before being pulled for Isaac Williams following a walk and hit batter.

Deiten LaChance doubled into left center, scoring Gambill to earn the Sooners fifth run in the fifth. The added margin would be short lived as the Sooners' inability to maintain momemtum bit them once again.

With Williams entrance in the fifth and two on with two outs, one pitch is all it took for Brodie Johnston to launch one to deep center for a three-run home run, tying the game at five a piece. After walking the next batter, Johnson pulled Williams for Mason Bixby.

Mike Mancini, Vanderbilt Commodore — Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin congratulates second baseman Mike Mancini | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A fortuitous bad throw by Vanderbilt allowed Dasan Harris to advance to second in the eighth with one out. Branch, one of the more clutch players in the lineup, came up big when he singled down the third base line to score Harris and break the tie.

Jackson Cleveland came on to get the save and earned it through retiring three of the four Commodore batters in the ninth.

The Sooners will face Oklahoma State for the second time this season. This matchup will take place at Tulsa's ONEOK Field. First pitch will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. OU defeated OSU 10-1 on February 14 in Arlington. Oklahoma will then host Missouri for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.