OMAHA, Neb. (AP) 鈥� Freshman left-hander Cord Rager allowed three hits over seven innings, an injured Deiten Lachance hobbled around the bases after hitting a two-run homer and Oklahoma continued its postseason tear with a 9-0 victory over Alabama in the College World Series on Saturday.
The Sooners (39-22) advanced to play Monday against the winner of Saturday night’s game between Texas and Georgia. The Crimson Tide (42-20) will face the Texas-Georgia loser in an elimination game Monday.
Alabama, which won two of three on the road against Oklahoma in April, was on its heels from the start in its first CWS appearance since 1999.
The Sooners put up two runs in the first inning against Tyler Fay (11-5), who grew up two hours west of Omaha in Doniphan, Nebraska. He gave up five runs in six innings, and the Sooners added four more in the eighth against two relievers.
Rager (6-3), who has gone at least six innings in each of his three NCAA Tournament starts, routinely got ahead of batters, striking out four of the first six he faced and allowing only one baserunner through four innings.
With OU football coaching greats Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops looking on from a suite, Rager held Alabama hitless until John Lemm drilled his first pitch up the middle leading off the fifth and Eric Hines sent a ball down the third-base line. A double play and groundout ended the threat.
Rager allowed three singles in the longest outing of the season, walked none and struck out eight. Of his 88 pitches, 63 were strikes. In 19 postseason innings, Rager has given up three runs on 11 hits with 22 strikeouts and one walk.
Lachance, the 6-foot-5, 231-pound Canadian catcher whose nickname is 鈥淏ig Maple,鈥� stayed in the game after he rolled his left ankle going into second base in the first inning. He drove a ball out to left for a 5-0 lead in the sixth, laboring during his trot around the bases and nearly making a full stop a few steps from the plate to raise his arms and pull them down with a clap. It was 16th homer, and 12th since May 2.
The Sooners entered the national tournament off losses in seven of nine games. They’ve won seven of eight in the NCAA Tournament with a .347 batting average, 19 homers, 31 extra-base hits and 79 runs.
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