Sooners snap skid, open series with 9-4 win

No.19 Oklahoma (24-9, 6-7) got exactly what it needed Friday night in a 9-4 series opening victory over No.17 Vanderbilt, snapping a season-long four game skid.

If the weekend was about Oklahoma finding itself offensively, consider that mission accomplished as the Sooners matched its series run total from last weekend’s LSU sweep scoring four runs in the first. 

Cade Crossland struck out a season-high eight while making his first Friday night start of the season with Kyson Witherspoon’s normal start being pushed back a day with back spasms.

WASTED NO TIME 

Oklahoma wasted little time jumping on Vanderbilt starter JD Thompson. Though Thompson gave himself little help, walking the first three batters of the game. The next two Sooners punished Thompson for finding the plate. Sam Christiansen doubled home a run. Jason Walk followed with a two run triple. 

On the night Oklahoma pounded 13 hits, five going for extra bases. Six different Sooners recorded an RBI. Quite the difference a week makes. 

“Honestly just clearing my mind. Letting everything do its own job. I’ve been hitting pretty well so letting everything figure itself out. Not really change too much and let the ability play,” said Jason Walk after going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. 

Dayton Tockey went 3-for-3, adding an RBI double in the 8th. Trey Gambill, hitting in the Sooners leadoff spot for the first time this season, went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Jaxon Willits also collected a pair of hits, including a seventh inning blast to left.

WILLITS DOING IT BOTH WAYS

Oklahoma shortstop Jaxon Willits made a pair of momentum changing plays in the series opening win. 

After Crossland issued a pair of walks with two outs in the fifth, Willits cut a ball off up the middle, spun and delivered a strike to Tockey at first to retire the side, killing Vanderbilt’s rally attempt in a 4-1 game.

“The separator for me was Jackson (Willits) made in the middle of the field. It was really big. It was a big out at the time because it could have flipped either way. They had a little bit of momentum that inning and I thought that was huge,” said Skip Johnson. 

Two innings later it was Willits, again. After Jacob Humphrey solo shot to right cut the OU lead to one. Willits got it back with one swing, extending the OU lead back to 5-3. The Sooners would go on to score two more in the inning, including Walk racing home from second on a wild pitch.

Momentum plays are important, especially in the topsy-turvy series that come in the Southeastern Conference. 

“It was a big moment for sure. He worked his approach and got a good pitch and drove it like he can. It was a really big moment. I thought it helped the momentum take it back out of their dugout and put it back in our dugout. These games are like a super regional every weekend. The momentum is so big. When you get the momentum it’s just seeing if you can sustain it and keep it in your dugout as long as you can,” said Johnson. 

CROSSLAND DEBUTS SLIDER, PICKS UP SOONERS

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night wasn’t the fact Cade Crossland made the Friday night start for Kyson Witherspoon. Rather it was a slider the junior left-hander debuted. We think it’ll stay in the arsenal. 

“Everything was working. All my pitches felt good. Threw a slider for the first time. Just tried it out and it worked so I kept throwing that,” said Crossland after going 5.2 innings and striking out a season-high eight. 

“It’s great. We really didn’t think twice about playing. Just gave it everything we had. The dugout was on fire all night. It was fun to be around tonight. Fun to watch.” 

Following the game Skip Johnson said Kyson Witherspoon will start the second game of the series. Good news for the Sooners after Witherspoon was scratched with back spasms.