The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a roaring start in their NCAA Tournament opener in the Norman Regional against Oral Roberts. Kyson Witherspoon and Carter Campbell combined for a shutout and the Sooners offense put up 14 runs behind three home runs.
It was a magnificent return to the starting lineup for [autotag]Bryce Madron[/autotag], who went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. The top three of the order, [autotag]John Spikerman[/autotag], Madron, and [autotag]Easton Carmichael[/autotag], combined to go 9-for-13 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and seven runs scored. It was a dominant performance for the top of the lineup.
“It was a confidence booster,” Madron said of his return. “Just going to try to keep it going throughout the regional, and I know our guys are going to be pretty good. I’m just going to do what I can.”
Witherspoon showed resiliency, working around trouble multiple times to keep Oral Roberts off the scoreboard. He threw six shutout innings with nine strikeouts. He allowed just one hit and was able to work around five walks on the evening. Campbell allowed just two hits and no walks during his three innings of work.
Now the Sooners will take on the UConn Huskies in the winner’s bracket on Saturday evening. A win there will take them to the Norman Regional final on Sunday with a shot to move on to the Super Regionals next weekend.