Sooners look forward to Omaha after beating Virginia Tech
Oklahoma beat No. 4 seed Virginia Tech 11-2 to win the Blacksburg Super Regional. The Sooners now advance to the College World Series in Omaha.
OU Athletics, Oklahoman
Jimmy Crooks has gotten used to OU’s nomadic lifestyle this postseason.
After claiming a Big 12 Tournament title in Arlington, Texas, the Sooners continued their tour by winning both the Gainesville Regional and the Blacksburg Super Regional.
“It feels comfortable for us,” Crooks said on Wednesday. “We’re really built to play on the road. I don’t think it really bothers us as a team. I think it makes us a little bit stronger.”
On Friday, Crooks and the Sooners made themselves at home on the biggest stage of them all.
OU began its College World Series run with a 13-8 win over No. 5 Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. The Sooners made an early statement by scoring seven runs in the second inning, and Crooks delivered the exclamation mark.
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After a two-run single by Blake Robertson and an RBI single by Tanner Tredaway extended the lead to 5-0, Crooks stole the show by launching a three-run home run over the wall in right field.
A three-run homer by Texas A&M’s Jordan Thompson trimmed the deficit to 8-3 in the bottom of the frame, but freshman Jackson Nicklaus kept OU in charge.
The Sooners loaded the bases in the top of the third inning when Nicklaus sent a sky-scraping shot into right field. All the Aggies’ outfielders could do was watch as it sailed over their heads for a grand slam.
Redshirt sophomore pitcher Jake Bennett kept Texas A&M’s offense contained. He finished the day with three strikeouts and four runs given up in six innings, but the floodgates opened once he stepped off the mound.
The Aggies racked up four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it a 12-8 contest. They got a trio of RBI singles, and all of them came with two strikes.
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But it wasn’t enough.
An RBI double by John Spikerman in the top of the ninth extended OU’s lead to 13-8, and closer Trevin Michael did the rest. The graduate transfer secured the final out by getting Jack Moss to fly out.
Nicklaus finished with four RBIs and two runs on 1-for-3 hitting. Crooks and Robertson each added three RBIs while going 1-for-4 and 1-for-5 at the plate, respectively.
OU advances to face the winner of No. 9 Texas and Notre Dame on Sunday at 6 p.m. The Sooners will be without redshirt junior Brett Squires, who broke his hand Friday after getting hit by a pitch in the third inning.
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Up next for OU: Texas-Notre Dame winner
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska
TV: ESPN2
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