Cavaliers denied return trip to College World Series
On its way to the College World Series for the first time last year, the Virginia Cavaliers upset the geographic order of college baseball, winning regional tournaments at two Sun Belt sites. This year, order was restored.
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With a second straight demolition of the highly-touted Virginia pitching staff, NCAA blueblood Oklahoma won the decisive game of the best-of-three Super Regional Monday night in Charlottesville, 11-0, to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Oklahoma (49-16) blasted four home runs and dominated every facet, out-pitching, out-hitting, out-fielding, and out-running Virginia, which disappointed a packed house at Davenport Field.
Oklahoma right fielder Cody Reine, the hero of Sunday’s 10-7 victory with a pair of home runs, was the catalyst again Monday night, blasting two more shots, which accounted for six runs.
The 5-foot-9, 217-pound sophomore tattooed Virginia’s Branden Kline (Thomas Johnson) for a three-run blast in the first inning, making the freshman right-hander pay for a pair of walks. In the eighth inning, Reine deposited a low fastball from Virginia relief ace Kevin Arico over the fence in right-field for his 10th home run of the year.
No. 8 hitter Cameron Seitzer demonstrated the depth of Oklahoma’s lineup in the second inning, bombing his 15th home run, a solo shot. Two batters later, Kline (5-1) was out of the game, on his way to the first loss of his college career.
And so it went on a night that Virginia (51-14) had three errors and only five hits. In eight innings against Oklahoma junior right-hander Bobby Shore (10-4), the Cavaliers failed to get an extra base-hit or push a runner past first base. The Sooners’ efficient infield turned two inning-ending double plays.
Oklahoma’s other home run came from catcher Tyler Ogle. His solo shot in the fifth inning was his ninth round-tripper of the year. He is one of five Sooners with at least nine home runs.
Also contributing was slumping cleanup hitter Garrett Buechelle, who hit a two-run, two-out double in the sixth inning.
