Sooners fall to Vandy in SEC Tournament quarterfinals, sent to UNC for NCAA Tournament

HOOVER, Ala. — The Oklahoma Sooners baseball team lost 6-1 to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

The 12th-seeded Sooners (35-20) were stifled by Vanderbilt pitching on the night, striking out a season high 17 times while leaving 10 runners on base.

The first two innings went scoreless from both sides as starting left-handed pitchers Cade Crossland for OU and J.D. Thompson for Vanderbilt blanked the other’s offense.

Vanderbilt broke through in the third inning with four runs on four hits and an OU error. After a pair of singles and error that loaded the bases, an RBI groundout pushed the first run of the game across. All-SEC honoree R.J. Austin then lifted a two-run double down the left-field line, followed by an RBI double from first baseman Riley Nelson to make it 4-0 for Vanderbilt after three innings.

OU scored its only run of the game across in the fourth inning. After a leadoff hit by pitch to red-shirt sophomore Sam Christiansen followed by a walk to sophomore Jaxon Willits, fellow sophomore Jason Walk plated one on a groundout to third.

Junior right-handed pitcher Dylan Tate made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth, missing the regular season due to injury. The Jefferson College transfer faced four batters in his inning of work, striking out one and walking one.

Crossland (4-5) took the loss in 3.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

At the plate, Willits and Easton Carmichael registered OU’s two hits on the night while senior Scott Mudler and freshman Kyle Branch each drew a pair of walks. Walk brought in OU’s lone run.

OU was sent to the Chapel Hill Regional, where the second-seeded Sooners will be paired with top-seeded North Carolina, No. 3 seed Nebraska and No. 4 seed Holy Cross. The Sooners will meet the Cornhuskers in a battle of former Big 8 and Big 12 foes at 3 p.m. Friday, following the Holy Cross-North Carolina game at 11 a.m. The regional title game is slated for 5 p.m. Sunday, with the ifgame set for Monday if necessary.