Oklahoma remains hot in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, knocking off No. 5 seed Texas A&M 13-8 to open this year’s College World Series in Omaha.
Jackson Nicklaus led the Sooner offense with 4 RBIs, which came on a grand slam in the top of the 4th inning that extended Oklahoma’s lead to 12-3.
It was a rough outing for Texas A&M’s Nathan Dettmer, the losing pitcher. Dettmer exited in the second inning, giving up 7 earned runs on 4 hits over 1.2 innings.
Oklahoma broke the scoring ice in the first inning, going up 1-0. A 7-run 2nd inning made it 8-0 Sooners. The Aggies answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd to cut the lead. Facing a 12-3 deficit in the bottom of the 4th inning, Texas A&M managed to score 1 run.
The Sooners took advantage of free passes. Oklahoma batters were walked 10 times and hit by pitch 3 times.
OU starter Jake Bennett went 6 innings, allowing 4 earned runs on 5 hits to pick up the win.
Texas A&M rallied in the bottom of the 7th inning when the Sooners went to the bullpen. David Sandlin relieved Bennett to start the frame, and his outing did not go well. Sandlin faced 5 batters, recording only 1 out. He was responsible for 4 runs scoring as the Aggies cut the deficit in half, making it a 12-8 ball game. Oklahoma added an insurance run in the top of the 9th.
The game is the highest-scoring College World Series contest at Charles Schwab Field. The record was broken when the game’s 20th run corssed the plate.
