Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 19 Oklahoma Scores Four Runs in First Inning to Beat No. 17 Vanderbilt

The Sooners' big first inning proved to be enough to break its four-game losing streak against the Commodores.
Taylor Hodges|
Oklahoma's Sam Christiansen (40) slides into second for a double during the college baseball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the LSU Tigers at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla., Thursday, April, 3, 2025.
Oklahoma's Sam Christiansen (40) slides into second for a double during the college baseball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the LSU Tigers at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla., Thursday, April, 3, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It looked like No. 17 Vanderbilt would have the pitching advantage in its series-opening game against No. 19 Oklahoma. The Sooners would be without its ace pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, while the Commodores had their ace on the mound in JD Thompson.

For four of the five innings Thompson battled against Oklahoma’s Cade Crossland, he pitched exactly like an ace pitcher is expected to perform. It was just one inning that doomed Vanderbilt in a 9-4 loss to the Sooners.

Thompson, uncharacteristically, gave up four walks in the first inning that led to Oklahoma scoring four runs. It was the only inning he allowed a run and ended the game with four runs on seven hits, five walks and six strikeouts.

The Commodores closed the deficit to just one run after Jacob Humphrey hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, but Jaxon Willits answered back in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run of his own. Oklahoma added another two runs on a wild pitch and a Dayton Tockey double down the right field line.

The Sooners added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning on Trey Gambill’s RBI single to center field against Vanderbilt freshman Tristan Bristow. The Sooners added another run on a Bristow wild pitch, accounting for the 9-4 final score.

In the Commodores' final trip to the plate, Colin Barczi managed to get on base with a leadoff double and scored on Rustan Ridgdan's sacrifice fly to left field, but the Commodores failed to push any more runs across the plate, securing the win for Oklahoma.

Vanderbilt and Oklahoma will continue its weekend series Saturday at 4 p.m. on SECN+. Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson said during Friday night’s broadcast on SEC Network that Kyson Witherspoon would start Saturday’s game. Here’s the starting pitcher matchup for game two:

RHP Cody Bowker (2-2, 2.68 ERA, 40.1 IP, 50 SO, 14 BB, 12 ER, .195 b/avg.) vs. RHP Kyson Witherspoon (5-2, 2.40 ERA, .98 WHIP, 45 IP, 68 SO, 11 BB, 12 ER, .199 opp b/avg.).

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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