It was a winner take all game in Omaha on Monday night as the Oklahoma Sooners took on the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The big question heading into the game is whether the OU bats would show back up after going quiet in Sunday’s game vs the Heels. It didn’t take long for the answer as the Sooners exploded for 13 runs en route to a blow out victory over the Tar Heels, 13-2, claiming the program’s 3rd national championship.
After a scoreless 1st inning, OU got things going in the 2nd when Kyle Branch brought home Dasan Harris on a seeing eye single through the right side. A batter later, Dayton Tockey came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, it was Harris making an outstanding play in the field as he through out a runner trying to advance to 3B on a hit for the 3rd out of the inning. What made it important, is the out was made before the lead runner crossed the plate keeping the score at 2-0.
In the 3rd inning, OU extended the lead to 3-0 as Brendan Brock brought home Jaxon Willits who was at 2B after he reached base on a double.
After UNC got a run in the bottom of the 3rd, OU answered in the top half of the 4th. Four straight walks brought home a run for the Sooners before Willits brought home 2 more on a hit to right field.
OU added another run in the 5th when Dayton Tockey obliterated a ball over the right field wall to make it 7-1.
The Tar Heels picked up a run in the 7th to make it 7-2.
If the game wasn’t already put away before the 8th, the door was slammed as the Sooners picked up another 4 runs. After a base hit by Harris scored Trey Gambill, Kyle Branch added to the Branch family legacy with a 3 run bomb over the left field wall.
That made the score 13-2 and that is where it stood as Jackson Cleveland came in the 9th striking out the side after giving up a lead off walk.
A major story of the game that won’t be talked about because of the offensive onslaught was the performance of LJ Mercurius. He came in relief in the 3rd inning when Nick Wesloski got in trouble and didn’t allow another run in the 3rd. All in all, Mercurius went 5.2 innings pitched allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 5 strikeouts against 0 walks.
This is the 3rd national championship in OU’s program history with the previous 2 coming in 1951 and 1994.
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