Oklahoma baseball: Sooners blank TCU 4-0 in Big 12 Tournament second round

Oklahoma baseball's Braden Davis pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout and Anthony Mackenzie and Jackson Nicklaus supplied the offense as the top-seeded Sooners defeated TCU 4-0 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Baseball Championship in Arlington, Texas.

The Sooners will now play No. 7 seed Kansas in the quarterfinals on Thursday at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Jayhawks advanced to the winner's bracket by defeating Kansas State 2-1 in the opening round on Tuesday.

Nicklaus laced a double to center field in the fourth inning scoring Michael Snyder who had walked, and Kendall Pettis singled in Nicklaus as Oklahoma broke a scoreless tie to go up 2-0. The score remained that way until the sixth, when Mackenzie and Nicklaus unloaded back-to-back jacks to expand the OU advantage to 4-0.

Davis was outstanding on the mound for the Sooners, winning his seventh straight game to improve to 8-3 for the season. He allowed no runs on just four hits, struck out eight TCU hitters and did not issue a walk in going all seven innings. It was his best start of the season and came at the right time for the regular-season Big 12 champions, who are hoping to complete the Big 12 championship double-double (winning both the regular-season and conference tournament title).

Nearly 72 percent of Davis' 120 pitch count were thrown for strikes.

Nicklaus was two-for-four at the plate for the Sooners and drove in a pair of runs. Mackenzie also collected two hits. Overall, Oklahoma recorded eight hits in the game, all singles except for the double and home run by Nicklaus and Mackenzie's solo shot. Six different Sooners reached base in the game.

Payton Tolle started and took the loss for the Horned Frogs. He went 5.1 innings, giving up all four OU runs on six hits. He was charged with the loss, dropping his season record to 7-4.

Oklahoma is 4-0 against TCU this season, having swept the three-game series during the regular season. The Horned Frogs will face Kansas State, a 6-4 winner over No. 4 seed West Virginia in an earlier elimination game on Wednesday. K-State's win eliminated West Virginia. The loser of the Kansas State-TCU matchup will also face elimination.