Deiten Lachance connected on a two-run homer in the sixth inning after rolling his ankle on the basepaths in the first, helping Oklahoma cruise to a 9-0 win against Alabama in a first-round game at the College World Series on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
Lachance also singled and scored three times, Jaxon Willits delivered two hits, an RBI and a pair of runs scored, and Trey Gambill and Dasan Harris each contributed two RBIs for Oklahoma, which will play the Georgia-Texas winner in the second round on Monday evening.
Sooners freshman left-hander Cord Rager limited Alabama to three hits over seven shutout innings. He struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter.
Alabama starter Tyler Fay allowed five runs and six hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked two.
The Crimson Tide are playing in their first CWS since 1999.
Lachance rolled his ankle while arriving at second base following a single by Willits in the first inning. The catcher was noticeably limping afterwards, but stayed in the game and eventually scored on a two-run double by Gambill to give Oklahoma an early 2-0 lead.
After the Sooners scored on a double play ground out by Lachance in the third to make it 3-0, he came up again in the sixth.
Camden Johnson was on first base after getting hit by a pitch to open the inning when LaChance lined a two-run homer into the seats in left before slowly hobbling around the bases to extend the lead to 5-0.
He singled again in the eighth to put runners on first and second with one out and Willits came through with an RBI single to make it 6-0.
Brendan Brock knocked in LaChance with a double to left-center for a 7-0 lead, and Harris then tacked on a two-run single to make it 9-0.
Rager did not allow a hit through the first four innings.
Alabama left fielder Eric Hines made a diving catch down the line to end the fifth, and John Lemm then hit the first pitch in the bottom half of the inning up the middle for the Tide’s first hit.
Hines followed with a hard single to left on the first pitch, but Rager got Brennan Holt to hit into a 3-6-3 double play and Luke Vaughn grounded out to second to end the threat.
Oklahoma went 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left only three men on base.
–Field Level Media
