Sooners wrap up homestand taking series from No. 17 Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt, making up for lost time after scoring just four runs in the first two games of the series, battered Oklahoma pitching for 13 runs on 11 hits on Sunday to post a dominant 13-2 road win in eight innings and avoid a series sweep.

The Commodores jumped out to a 5-0 advantage after three innings, including a solo home run in the first and a two-run shot in the second. That was all Vanderbilt (26-10, 8-7) would need as starter Connor Fennell and Sawyer Hawks combined to hold the Sooners to just five hits and struck out 10 OU batters.

Oklahoma baseball takes two of three from Commodores

The win by Vanderbilt in Sunday's series finale overshadowed a career-high 11-strikeout performance by OU starter Malachi Witherspoon, who allowed six runs on six hits over five innings and was charged with his fourth loss.

The No. 19 Sooners struck early, scoring four times in the first inning of the series opener on Friday. Vanderbilt fought its way back with single runs in the third, sixth and seventh to draw within one at 4-3, but OU scored three more in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the eighth to finish out a 9-4 win, ending a four-game losing streak.

Dayton Tockey and Jason Walk had three hits apiece in leading the OU offense, and Trey Gambill and Jason Walk collected a pair of hits, combining for 10 of the Sooners' 13 hits in Friday's win. JUCO transfer Cade Crossland (2-2) earned his second win of the season, going 5.2 innings and giving up two runs on five hits and striking out eight.

It was all Oklahoma again on Saturday. Easton Carmichael got the Sooners on the board in the first inning on a three-run homer, and a seven-run explosion in the fourth on just two hits. One of those two hots was a three-run home-run blast to left field off the bat of Dawson Willis that gave Oklahoma an 11-0 lead on the way to a 14-0 shutout victory in seven innings.

Oklahoma was very efficient offensively, scoring 14 runs on nine hits, but also had the benefit of eight walks issued by four Vanderbilt pitchers along with five hit batters.

On the same afternoon as the inaugural Crimson Combine spring event for football, the Sooners' game with Vanderbilt also managed to draw heavy interest. A record-setting crowd of 5,051 was in attendance at L. Dale Mitchell Park on Saturday.

Sooner ace Kyson Witherspoon, who was moved to a Saturday start instead of his normal Friday spot because of back spasms, showed no signs of any ill effects, shutting down Vanderbilt on just two hits while going the full seven innings. The Sooner junior right-hander struck out six and didn't walk a batter to pick up his sixth win and go 6-2 on the season.

Next, the Sooners play Oklahoma State on Tuesday night for a midweek Bedlam matchup.