Duke baseball set to battle Norman Regional host Oklahoma in Sunday elimination game

The Blue Devils and the Sooners both lost to UConn, and now Duke and Oklahoma must decide who goes on and who goes home.

Duke baseball has the simplest task in sports on Sunday: win or go home.

After an opening loss to Connecticut, the Big East regular-season champions, to open the bracket, the Blue Devils staved off Oral Roberts on Saturday afternoon to keep a pulse on the monitor. Now, however, Duke must win three straight games to reach a Super Regional, and the first one comes against the host team.

The Oklahoma Sooners, the home team of the Norman Regional, fell to the Huskies 4-1 on Saturday night to drop down into the loser’s bracket. Now, Duke must do what UConn did and beat the Sooners on their home turf.

Duke’s one-run showing against the Huskies seemed to half all offensive momentum after 43 runs in four games during the ACC Tournament. However, if you view it in the context of Oklahoma only scoring one run against Connecticut and the Blue Devils hanging six on Oral Roberts, perhaps the game meant more about UConn.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and Blue Devils fans across the country can watch on ESPN.

The winner will play Connecticut in the Regional Final, but given that it’s a double-elimination bracket, either team would need to beat the Huskies twice in a row to advance.