Tag: Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Oklahoma Sooners fall to UConn Huskies 4-1 in Norman Regional

Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t hit with runners on and fall to UConn 4-1.

After a picture-perfect start to hosting their first regional in almost 20 years, [autotag]Skip Johnson[/autotag] and the Oklahoma Sooners saw it all come crashing down on Saturday night. They lost to the Big East regular season champion UCONN Huskies 4-1.

The Sooners came into the game with loads of momentum after a 14-0 shutout of Oral Roberts Friday night. On Friday afternoon, UCONN beat the two-seed in the region, Duke, by a 4-1 score.

Both teams knew Saturday night would be a grind, but for OU, they felt great.

[autotag]Braden Davis[/autotag], the staff ace, didn’t pitch on Friday because Johnson wanted to save him for this matchup instead. While he was right in theory, things didn’t go as he wanted them to.

Oklahoma was the road team, so they started the game batting first. Oklahoma could get nothing off Connecticut pitcher Stephen Quigley despite a Bryce Madron hit.

Davis worked out of a jam in the bottom of the second to keep things tied. Oklahoma had two hits in the top half of the third, but Quigley worked himself out of a jam and kept Oklahoma off the board.

In the bottom half of the inning, a two-out rally featuring two walks and a single by the Huskies’ Korey Morton allowed UConn to draw first blood and take a 1-0 lead.

Oklahoma got doubles in the fourth and fifth innings from [autotag]Michael Snyder[/autotag] and [autotag]John Spikerman[/autotag], but couldn’t bring them home.

That would remain the story of the night for the Sooners. In the bottom of the seventh inning, after back-to-back 1-out singles, RHP Dylan Crooks entered in relief of Braden Davis, who pitched 6.1 innings, allowing seven hits and walking three batters. He threw 109 pitches and struck out ten batters. He was also on the hook for three earned runs when Luke Broadhurst hammered a ball to deep left field to push the Huskies’ lead to 4-0.

Kendall Pettis hit a homer in the eighth, but that would be the last hurrah from the Sooners before the game ended. The Sooners got Jackson Nicklaus up for the tying run, but Nicklaus couldn’t make any noise, and the game was over.

Oklahoma’s inability to get the big hit doomed them. They pitched well enough to stay within striking distance but could never push themselves to get the one or two big hits necessary to flip momentum to their side.

Redshirt senior outfielder Kendall Pettis went 2-for-3 with a home run. He was the standout offensively.

With the loss, the Sooners will face Duke, the two-seed in this regional, with their season on the line.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Duke baseball staves off elimination with 6-2 win over Oral Roberts

Duke eliminates Oral Roberts 6-2 to keep season going.

The 2024 Duke Blue Devils baseball team will live to play another day after they survived an elimination game in the Norman Regional on Saturday afternoon, beating Oral Roberts 6-2.

Friday was a bit of shell shock for the Blue Devils, who came into the NCAA Tournament red-hot, especially offensively. After a 16-run performance against Florida State in the ACC Tournament title game, Duke only managed one run on Friday against Big East regular-season champion Connecticut.

UCONN used some situational hitting and terrific pitching to put Duke away 4-1 and force Duke into the loser’s bracket. In a double-elimination system, the Blue Devils woke up knowing they’d be heading back to Durham by nightfall if they didn’t win.

Staff ace Jonathan Santucci received the start against Oral Roberts and pitched for the first time since he was injured in the regular season. He didn’t go long for obvious reasons, as he had been out for a little while, and Duke didn’t want to over-extend him.

He only pitched two innings but gave up no runs while striking out four and walking two. He escaped a jam to keep the scoreboard blank while his offense continued to find its footing.

James Tallon came on to handle the third inning and did so smoothly. He gave up no hits and didn’t walk anyone. In the top of the fourth, Duke finally broke through on a Devin Obee RBI single to score Alex Stone. The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead.

Talented two-way freshman Kyle Johnson relieved Tallon in the bottom of the fourth and started the first of three innings. In the top of the sixth, Duke hit the gas to separate themselves from the Golden Eagles. Alex Stone led off with a double and scored on a one-out double from Chase Krewson. Wallace Clark made sure he made it home after he doubled to the left-center gap to make it 3-0 Duke.

Jimmy Evans connected on a two-run homer for his only hit of the afternoon to make it 5-0 for the Blue Devils in the sixth. ORU would respond with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but Duke quelled any other threats. Devin Obee smoked a solo home run for insurance in the top of the eighth, and Charlie Beilenson nailed down the final inning to end Oral Roberts’ season.

Duke’s bounceback couldn’t have been better, as they needed all hands on deck to make this work. The Blue Devils will play on Sunday afternoon in yet another elimination game. The loser of Oklahoma vs. UCONN will have their backs pushed up against the wall and face elimination. That game will start at 2 p.m. local time and be broadcast on ESPN +.

Sooners cruise to a 14-0 win over Oral Roberts to open NCAA Tournament play

Kyson Witherspoon and Carter Campbell combined for the shutout and the Sooners offense erupted for a 14-0 win over Oral Roberts in the NCAA tournament.

It was the first time the Oklahoma Sooners hosted postseason baseball at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman since 2010, and the boys in Crimson and Cream were ready to rock and roll from the opening pitch.

Oklahoma entered the NCAA Tournament fresh off a loss to their in-state rivals, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game. However, with how the Sooners have played since conference play began, bouncing back was easy for them.

Their first opponent was an Oral Roberts team that the Sooners had already faced this season, splitting a pair of midweek games.

Kyson Witherspoon got the start. Oklahoma opted to save Braden Davis in case the Sooners were in the loser’s bracket or had to face Duke.

Witherspoon escaped early danger, stranding the bases loaded to end the first. Oklahoma immediately opened things up with a triple from centerfielder John Spikerman and a Bryce Madron sac fly. Madron returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the Big 12 tournament to rest an injury from the end of the regular season.

 

With the Sooners up 1-0, they never looked back. Witherspoon worked around two runners in the second and third innings to hold the Golden Eagles scoreless.

In the bottom of the third, Madron let the rest of the home crowd know he was healthy as he blasted a two-run home run to right field, giving OU a 3-0 lead.

After some clean innings from Witherspoon, Oklahoma opened the game up on an Easton Carmichael three-run home run to make it a 6-0 game.

Witherspoon finished his day tossing six innings of shutout ball. He struck out nine batters and sat down the last ten batters he faced. Simply, it was a dazzling performance in his NCAA Tournament debut.

Oklahoma continued to pile on runs the rest of the way. Scott Mudler hit a solo home run and had a two-run single. Spikerman had a two-run single. And Jackson Nicklaus added an RBI single himself.

Carter Campbell finished the pitching from the seventh inning onward and kept things spotless, giving up no runs to complete a dominant performance from the Sooners.

It’s hard to imagine Skip Johnson drawing up a more perfect opening game. Minimal pitchers were used, and the team showed tremendous discipline at the plate, which made Oral Roberts pay for mistakes in the form of 17 hits.

Oklahoma will advance to the winner’s bracket and will face UConn tomorrow at 8 p.m. local time under the lights. The winner of that game will be just one win away from clinching a spot in the Super Regionals.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Duke manages eight hits but just one run in 4-1 loss to UCONN to start NCAA Tournament play

Duke falls 4-1 in opening game of NCAA Tournament play.

After destroying everything in their path to an ACC Title, the Duke Blue Devils lost for the first time in four games. They fell 4-1 to the UCONN Huskies in their first game of the Norman Regional to kick off the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Duke entered the game as the second seed in the region behind the hosts Oklahoma and was a notable trendy pick to win the regional itself. However, when the dust settled as the Blue Devils kicked off the region on Friday, the Blue Devils found themselves with their backs against the wall and their season on the line.

Staff ace Jonathan Santucci has yet to return, and Duke went with their ACC Championship-winning pitcher Andrew Healy on the mound Friday against the Big East regular season champions.

Healy pitched plenty well enough, but Duke’s bats were ice cold. UCONN starter Braden Cooke went 5.2 IP, giving up just four hits, one earned run and walked two while striking out four.

Healy threw four innings and gave up just one run. Ryan Higgins entered in relief and gave up two runs after a walk, an error on a failed pickoff, and another walk set UCONN up with runners on third and first. A sacrifice bunt moved runners to second, and a two-run single in the top of the sixth by Huskies catcher Ryan Hyde proved too much for the Duke offense to overcome.

Duke mustered eight hits but couldn’t piece it together for more than just one run, which is a stark contrast from how this offense has operated all season l; long.

Duke’s loss sends them to the loser’s bracket. They’ll face the loser of the Oklahoma and Oral Roberts game tomorrow at 2 p.m. central time, and the loser will head home.

 

Fresh off ACC Tournament title, Duke baseball heads to Oklahoma as No. 2 seed in the Norman Regional

Duke earns the second seed in the Norman Regional after winning the 2024 ACC Tournament Title.

The newly minted 2024 ACC Tournament champions are headed to Norman, Oklahoma.

Following their offensive explosion against Florida State in the ACC title game, many around the Duke program thought there was a chance that the Blue Devils could sneak a late hosting bid away. Sunday night, the NCAA disproved that by now awarding Duke with a top-16 seed. On Monday, the Blue Devils discovered which regional they would participate in.

The Blue Devils will head to Norman, hoping to advance to the Super Regionals for the second consecutive year. This will be no tall task, as the hosting Oklahoma Sooners are a well-rounded ball club with offense, defense, and a deep pitching unit that features quality starters and challenging bullpen options in relief. Oklahoma dominated the Big 12, posting a 23-7 record in the conference. They also came up just short of winning the tournament title.

The Big East regular season champion, the Connecticut Huskies, are also in the region and they are no slouches. Lastly, the Blue Devils will have the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, this year’s Summit League tournament champions, to contend with.

Regionals will run from May 31 through June 3 at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. Duke (39-18) is slated to open the regional against No. 3 seed UConn (32-23) on Friday at 8 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on ESPN+.

The winner of the double-elimination NCAA Regional will advance to a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional, which will run from June 6-8 or 7-9. The Norman Regional winner will face the winner of the Tallahassee Regional, which features Florida State, Alabama, UCF, and Stetson.

Sooners earn No. 9 national seed, host regional round of the NCAA Tournament

Oklahoma set to host regional, welcoming Duke, UConn, and Oral Roberts to Norman.

The field is set, and Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma Sooners baseball team knows exactly who it will be playing when the NCAA Tournament opens on Friday, May 31.

On Sunday afternoon, regional host sites were announced. The Sooners were chosen to host, indicating they were at least one of the top 16 seeds in the nation. On Monday, they found out who they would play this weekend.

The Sooners missed the cut as a national seed, finishing No. 9 instead of landing a projected top eight seed. If the Sooners had finished eighth, they would have been able to host a Super Regional should they advance. The loss to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament championship game likely made the difference.

Oklahoma will have no easy task trying to advance, as the Sooners are set to host Duke, Oral Roberts, and the UConn Huskies.

The Duke Blue Devils are the two-seed in the region and are fresh off of winning their second ACC Tournament.

UConn is the third seed in this region and hails from the Big East. They won the Big East regular season and are in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season.

Oklahoma’s first opponent in the tournament is Oral Roberts, the Summit League champions. Oklahoma played Oral Roberts in March and earned a seven-inning run-rule shutout, winning 10-0. Game time is set for Friday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

Oklahoma’s region isn’t a cakewalk, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Sooners can come out on top with their improved pitching, which failed them in last year’s tournament, and an offense that is much more dynamic than last year.

If the Sooners advance, they will take on the winner of the Florida State Regional, which consists of the Seminoles, Alabama, Stetson, and the Big 12’s UCF.

Oklahoma also hopes their All-Big 12 Second Team outfielder Bryce Madron can go. He sat out the entire Big 12 tournament to rest an injury he sustained in the final regular season series against Cincinnati.

Otherwise, Oklahoma will be in excellent health as it prepares to play this weekend.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida baseball’s win over Oral Roberts in CWS

Take a look at a series of highlights from Sunday nights big win for Florida baseball.

Florida baseball earned another nail-biting win in the College World Series on Sunday night when it hung on to defeat the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, 5-4. It was a weird game all around that included an arcane rule that almost derailed the Gators, but in the end after a fierce rally, the Orange and Blue prevailed.

UF starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep had a fine outing against ORU, working through some early command issues to finish the night with a dozen strikeouts and just one run allowed through six innings. The bullpen, on the other hand, wasn’t as sharp.

The top of the order struggled once again for Florida. Cade Kurland, Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglainone went a combined 1-for-12 with no runs batted in, leaving Ty Evans and Luke Heyman to do most of the work. Both players belted two-run homers, and Josh Rivera contributed a solo shot in the fourth.

Ryan Slater struggled in relief, forcing Florida to turn to the SEC’s save leader Brandon Neely in the seventh. Kevin O’Sullivan would have stuck with his All-SEC closer until the very end, but an excessive mound meeting meant that Neely had to be removed from the game.

Cade Fisher had to get out of two bases-loaded situations over the final two frames, but he navigated his way through a rollercoaster finish and secured the win for the Gators. Take a look below at highlights from the exciting College World Series action in Omaha, Nebraska.

 

Florida holds on against Oral Roberts, improves to 2-0 at College World Series

In a game that had everything, Florida emerged victorious over Oral Roberts Sunday night and is now 2-0 at the College World Series.

It seemed like Florida would run away with things early, but Oral Roberts chipped away at the Gators’ lead all night and nearly pulled off the upset before falling, 5-4, Sunday evening.

Hurston Waldrep was masterful once again for UF, working through some early command issues to finish the night with a dozen strikeouts and just one run allowed through six innings. The bullpen, on the other hand, wasn’t as sharp.

Ryan Slater struggled in relief, forcing Florida to turn to Brandon Neely in the seventh. Kevin O’Sullivan would have stuck with his All-SEC closer until the very end, but brain a fart led to a meeting that forced Neely out of the game.

Enter true freshman Cade Fisher.

Fisher had to get out of two bases-loaded situations over the final two frames, but he navigated his way through a rollercoaster finish and secured the win for Florida.

The top of the order struggled once again. Cade Kurland, Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglainone went a combined 1-for-12 with no runs batted in, leaving Ty Evans and Luke Heyman to do most of the work. Both players belted two-run homers, and Josh Rivera contributed a solo shot in the fourth.

Although Florida was the superior team on the field, Oral Roberts proved that non-SEC clubs can play some of the best baseball in the country. Florida finds success by being a blue-blood program, but you can’t help but tip your cap to a smaller program that wins just as much by being scrappy.

The Golden Eagles will have to take down TCU on Tuesday for a chance to rematch with the Gators.

For more on the game, Gators Wire has inning-by-inning notes from the game tonight below.

Game Preview: Florida and Oral Roberts battling for 2-0 College World Series start

Starting off 2-0 in Omaha would put Florida out in front of its College World Series pool, but Oral Roberts won’t be easy to get by.

Following an incredible walk-off win Friday night against Virginia, the Florida Gators (51-15) are set to face Oral Roberts University (52-12) in the winner’s bracket of the pool play portion of the College World Series in Omaha.

Oral Roberts might sound like a midweek opponent that Florida deals with early in the year, but the Golden Eagles are one of eight teams left standing in the sport and just took down TCU as the road team to advance to the winner’s bracket. Oral Roberts has the fifth-highest team batting average in the country (.322) and is second in hits with 732.

Fortunately, Florida has Hurston Waldrep set to go on the mound. The future first-round talent has been lights out during the postseason and seems like a lock to go in the middle of the first round of the 2023 MLB draft in July.

The Golden Eagles can pitch too, though. Oral Roberts is ranked seventh overall with a 3.99 staff ERA through 564 1/3 innings. They are only No. 54 in strikeouts per nine innings but still average 9.4 a game. Florida will have a chance to hit, but this is a very good team that can’t be taken lightly.

BT Riopelle was the hottest bat for Florida against Virginia, but Wyatt Langford and Ty Evans delivered two late homers that might have sparked the rest of the group.

Here’s a detailed look at Sunday’s matchup.

Twitter Reaction: Ducks’ electric season falls short of World Series with Game 3 loss to Oral Roberts

A tough end to an otherwise electric season for the Oregon Ducks. Fans took to Twitter to express their gratitude after the Super Regionals loss.

On Saturday night, the Oregon Ducks were two outs away from making it to their first College World Series since 1954.

It turns out that they would never get closer than that.

After the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles rallied to get a walk-off win over the Ducks in Game 2 of the Super Regionals, they stormed ahead in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon, winning 11-6 and advancing to the College World Series.

The Ducks initially got out to a 3-1 lead early in the game, but the pitching ended up running out down the stretch, and a handful of unforced errors allowed Oral Roberts to run away with the victory.

While the season came to an unfortunate end, it should be largely viewed as a major success in Eugene. The Ducks got a stagnant baseball program out of the mud and there was more energy in the city for this squad than there has been in over a decade. After the loss, Oregon fans took to social media to express their gratitude for the great season, and show their support for the Ducks.

Here are some of the best reactions: