Central Michigan Baseball – Syndication Server

Sooners struggle against Carsten Finnvold, fall to Florida 7-2 to set up Monday rematch

After the Sooners loaded the bases with no outs in the first, Florida pitching shut down OU all night and forced a second game in a 7-2 win

Things were looking good to start the evening for the Sooners. Peyton Graham, Blake Robertson and John Spikerman were all on base in the first inning with no one out and the Gators were already tapping into their bullpen.

Then Carsten Finnvold took the mound.

The freshman retired the Sooners in order and shut down the Sooners’ early chance to get a big lead. Oklahoma didn’t get another hit until the sixth inning.

The Gators rode Finnvold’s stellar relief outing to a 7-2 win to push the Gainesville Regional Final to a second game. The winner Monday will move on to Super Regionals to face No. 4 Virginia Tech.

While Cade Horton had a solid night with only two earned runs in 6.1 innings, the OU bullpen couldn’t keep the Gators off the board and allowed a four-run eighth inning.

The Sooners were stagnant in every inning other than the first and sixth. They were retired in order six times on the evening.

Fatigue didn’t seem to be an issue for the Gators, who once again defeated Central Michigan earlier on Sunday to earn this rematch with the Sooners. Finnvold pitching as long as he did against OU after Florida used five pitchers against the Chippewas could be huge for the second game tomorrow.

Oklahoma and Florida will face off Monday at noon.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Oklahoma Sooners defeat No. 14 Florida Gators to advance to the Regional Finals

The Sooners are one win away from the NCAA Super Regionals after a 9-4 win against the no. 14 Florida Gators

When the Sooners were sent off to Gainesville, a matchup against the hosting Gators was all but a given if a trip to Omaha was the goal.

The Gator-friendly crowd didn’t matter. The Sooners lived by the long ball and took down the No. 14 Gators 9-4. The Sooners are now one win away from Super Regionals and three wins away from the program’s first College World Series berth since 2010.

Since OU hasn’t lost a game in Regionals yet, whoever they play in the final will have to beat them twice. After a well-earned day off on Sunday, Oklahoma will play the winner of Central Michigan and Florida on Monday.

After falling behind early 2-0, the Sooners smashed four home runs. Peyton Graham and Blake Robertson both went yard and Jimmy Crooks did it twice.

The Gators just had no answer for Crooks, he got a double to go along with those home runs for three hits on the evening.

David “Sandman” Sandlin did what he needed to to get the Sooners the win. After allowing two home runs in the second inning, he buckled down and didn’t allow another run until the sixth. Sandlin finished the night with three earned runs and six strikeouts in six innings pitched.

The Gators put one more run on the board against OU’s bullpen, but that’s it.

If the Sooners can win this Regional, a very foreboding opponent could be waiting for them. The No. 4 Virginia Tech Hokies haven’t had much issue moving through their Regional thus far.

Oklahoma Sooners heading to Gainesville for regional round of NCAA tournament

The Oklahoma Sooners earned a No. 2 seed and will head to Gainesville for regionals along with Florida, Liberty, and Central Michigan.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ run to close the season didn’t earn them an opportunity to host a regional in the NCAA tournament. However, after five straight series wins to close out the Big 12 regular season and a Big 12 tournament title, Oklahoma received a No. 2 seed and will be heading to Gainesville, Fla. for the regional round of the NCAA tournament.

The Florida Gators earned the right to host and will be joined by Oklahoma, Liberty, and Central Michigan.

Florida comes in with a record of 39-22 and went 15-15 in the SEC. Despite their average record in conference play, the Gators head into the national postseason with the 14th best RPI.

Oklahoma is No. 20 in the RPI and as the No. 2 seed will take on third-seeded Liberty who boasts a record of 37-21 and opened the season with a series win over Florida. Liberty was ranked 31st in RPI.

Central Michigan owns a record of 42-17 and won the MAC tournament title after going 30-7 in conference play during the MAC regular season.

Oklahoma looks to stay hot on the road. The Sooners won three straight Big 12 series on the road, including a sweep at Kansas and taking two of three at TCU (who won the Big 12 regular-season title) and Texas Tech (who is the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the RPI).

[listicle id=64352]