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Oklahoma Takes Series Against Gonzaga; Continues Efficient, Explosive Play

An explosive fourth inning led to another dominant victory for the hosting Sooners.
Brady Trantham|
Kyle Branch heads to first against Gonzaga
Kyle Branch heads to first against Gonzaga | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Game two of Oklahoma's weekend series against the Gonzaga Bulldogs went much like the first one did.

The No. 13-ranked Sooners defeated the visitors 11-1 to win their second series of the season after seven innings. Saturday's matchup notched the seventh game of this 17-game home stand to start the 2026 seasons for OU.

L.J. Mercurius (3-0) got the start at the mound for Oklahoma (10-1) and quickly got things started by retiring Gonzaga's (2-7) first three hitters. Mercurius' nine strike outs in the win bested ace pitcher Cameron Johnson's seven Ks in yesterday's game.

But it took the OU bats some time to wake up on this cozy Saturday.

The Zags took advantage of a Brenden Brock error to first baseman Dayton Tockey in the second inning to set up their first run. Gonzaga led 1-0 until Camden Johnson's inside the park home run tied the game in the bottom of the third.

Right fielder Nolan Stevens—Jason Walk moved to second base for this game—hit his second home run of the season to break the tie in the bottom of the fourth. It was Stevens' second hit in as many at bats of the game, bringing his season batting average to .316.

Tockey extended the lead with a two-out double that scored Dasan Harris. Alec Blair immediately matched him with an RBI double to score Tockey.

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Oklahoma wasn't done with the fourth inning. Trey Gambill's three-run home run plated Blair and Johnson. Zag's pitcher Erik Hoffberg finally earned the final strikeout to retire the Sooners, but the damage had been done with OU leading 7-1.

Gambill earned his second RBI of the game by hitting a double to plate Johnson in the bottom of the sixth, bringing the Sooner lead to 8-1. This one came at the expense of Gonzaga relief pitcher Joe Thornton. The change in pitching did little to keep Oklahoma down.

Mercurius retired 17 hitters in a row, facing 22 batters on the day (Gonzaga's Hoffberg saw 21 batters in three less innings played). He was relieved by

With two outs and Stevens at third, Dayton LaChance made his presence felt with a pinch hit single-RBI. Drew Dickerson got things going with his first hit of the game, plating LaChance after hitting a double into center field to bring the score to 10-1.

Johnson ended things shortly after with an RBI single.

Camden Johnson, Oklahoma Sooners
Third basemen Camden Johnson plays the field against Gonzaga | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The Sooners will look to defend Kimrey Family Stadium for the third game of the series against Gonzaga tomorrow at 1 p.m. Dallas Baptist will come to Norman for a midweek clash on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before Oklahoma hosts Santa Clara for a series next weekend.

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Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

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