OU Baseball: Oklahoma Falls 6-1 to Vanderbilt in SEC Quarterfinals

Oklahoma’s SEC Tournament run came to an end on Thursday, as the 13th-seeded Sooners lost 6-1 to 4-seed Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.

OU’s loss comes after tourney wins against 13-seed Kentucky and 5-seed Georgia on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Thursday’s game was ugly for Oklahoma: The Sooners couldn’t find consistency at the plate, on the mound or in the field.

Both teams struggled to find an offensive spark early, but the game unraveled for OU in the third inning. Vanderbilt broke the scoreless tie, scoring four runs on four hits and an error.

The Commodores (40-16, 19-11 SEC) didn’t get as many runs to show for it, but the Sooners struggled similarly in the fourth. Vanderbilt reached twice on hit-by-pitches, once on a fielding error and once on a single — but Vandy got just one across in the inning.

Vandy scored once more in the seventh inning to pad its lead.

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Oklahoma’s lone run came in the top of the fourth, when outfielder Jason Walk drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.

The Sooners (35-20, 14-16) recorded only two hits and left 10 runners on base. OU struck out 17 times at the plate.

The Commodores didn’t commit an error in the field, while OU logged three.

Cade Crossland, who started the game, earned the loss. The junior left-handed pitcher allowed five runs on only four hits — though only three of his runs were earned — in 3 ⅔. Crossland’s ERA rose to 7.04.

Prior to Thursday’s loss the Sooners had won three of their last four contests. Oklahoma won its first two games at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, AL, after stealing Game 2 of its series against Texas last weekend.

Vanderbilt advances to the SEC semifinals with the win and will battle Tennessee, which defeated 1-seed Texas in the quarterfinals, on Friday.

Next for Oklahoma is the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners entered Thursday’s game ranked No. 25 in college baseball’s RPI rankings and seem to be a lock for the tourney.

The Sooners will have their regional fate determined at 11 a.m. on Monday. The NCAA tourney selection show will be aired on ESPN2.