OU Baseball: Oklahoma Run Ruled at Home by Vanderbilt

Maybe Oklahoma hitters were just tired from running around the bases so much.

After dominating Vanderbilt on Friday and Saturday, the Sooners went quietly in Sunday’s series finale as the Commodores roared back to life for a 13-2 victory at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

No. 19 Oklahoma fell to 25-10 overall and 7-8 in SEC play, while No. 14 Vandy improved to 26-10 and 8-7.

The Sooners mostly strolled through their first two victories over the Commodores, winning 9-4 and 14-0 — the latter a seven-inning run-rule triumph played before the largest single-game crowd in OU history, 5,051.

Sunday, though, ended in an eight-inning run rule — the Sooners’ first SEC run-rule loss, just one day after recording their first SEC run-rule win.

Vanderbilt stormed to a 5-0 lead after just three innings against OU starter Malachi Witherspoon (2-4).

Witherspoon struck out 11 and walked just one, but gave up six earned runs on six hits and also hit two batters in five innings.

As a staff, the Sooners recorded 13 Ks but gave up 11 hits, plunked six Vanderbilt hitters and walked three.

Vandy’s Riley Nelson blasted a two-out, first-pitch home run in the first inning, and Braden Holcomb smashed a two-run home to right in the second to make it 3-0.

In the third, with a runner at third after Witherspoon hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and gave up a steal, Nelson delivered a single through the right side for a 4-0 lead.

Following an error by center fielder Jason Walk, Rustan Rigdon singled to left field to score Nelson and give the Commodores a 5-0 advantage.

OU got its lone run in the fourth when Easton Carmichael drew a one-out walk, stole second on a strikeout, and came home on Dayton Tockey’s single up the middle.

But Vandy rebuilt the five-run edge when Witherspoon plunked R.J. Austin, allowed another steal, gave up a single to Nelson and served up a double to center field by Brodie Johnston to give the Commodores a 6-1 lead.

Reliever Gavyn Jones got hit for a three-spot in the sixth as Jacob Humphrey and Austin were hit by pitch, Nelson drew a walk to load the bases and Johnston hit a bouncer to third that Dawson Willis misplayed — he tried to tag the runner at third instead of throwing to first — as Humphrey scored. Rigdon then delivered a two-run single to center to bring home Nelson and Austin and listed Vandy to a 9-1 lead.

Another runner scored after getting hit by a Sooner pitcher in the seventh inning when Humphrey was plunked by Jason Bodin and took second on Beau Sampson’s throwing error. Humphrey came home with an unearned run on Jonathan Vastine’s single to center to make it 10-1.

Holcomb made it 12-1 in the eighth with two unearned runs off Jackson Kircher. Rigdon reached on an error — Kircher covered first base on a grounder to the right side but then missed the bag — and Mac Rose singled him over to third. From there, Holcomb’s double into the left field corner brought both runners home.

Cameron Johnson came in and hit Mike Mancini — Johnson’s seventh HBP this year and OU’s sixth of the day.

After Johnson issued a walk, Vandy made it 13-1 when Vastine ripped a line drive off Johnson’s right leg and into foul territory with the bases loaded.

OU scored a run in the bottom of the eighth when Jason Walk delivered a two-out RBI single to make it 13-2.

The Sooners will try to get back on the winning track when they hit the road this week for a 6 p.m. visit to Oklahoma State on Tuesday and a three-game SEC series at Missouri starting Thursday night.