Liberty Falls to Oklahoma in Regional Opener

Postgame Comments - Head Coach Scott Jackson

The Oklahoma Sooners downed the Liberty Flames 16-3, Friday afternoon in the first game of the 2022 NCAA Regional at Condron Family Ballpark.

Liberty jumped out to a 3-0 lead in their first at bat, only to see the Big 12 Tournament Champion Oklahoma Sooners strike for four runs in the second and two in the fourth inning on their way to the win.

Flames' first baseman Logan Mathieu had two hits and knocked in a run in the contest. Shortstop Stephen Hill started the scoring for the Flames with a two-out, two-run double.

Liberty drops to 37-22 on the season. The Flames will play the loser of Central Michigan and regional host Florida in an elimination game, tomorrow. Oklahoma, winners of five consecutive games, moves to 38-20. The Sooners advance to play the winner of the Central Michigan and Florida, tomorrow.

Box Score Highlights

Records Liberty (37-22); Oklahoma (38-20)

Location: Gainesville, Fla. (Condron Family Ballpark)

WP: Jake Bennett (5-1) | LP: Dylan Cumming (5-5)

Scoring Summary

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Hill doubles, Anderson and Betts score, 2-0

1^st INNING – LIBERTY - Mathieu singles, Hill scores, 3-0

2^nd INNING – LIBERTY - Clark singles, Crooks scores, 3-1

2^nd INNING – Pettis homers, Clark scores, 3-3

2^nd INNING – OU - Spikerman homers, 4-3

4^th INNING – OU - Spikerman singles, Pettis and Squires (unearned) score, 6-3

5^th INNING – OU - Nicklaus singles, Crooks and Treadway scores, 8-3

5^th INNING – OU - Squires singles, Clark scores, 9-3

5^th INNING – OU - Spikerman singles, Nicklaus scores, 10-3

5^th INNING – OU - Graham homered, Spikerman Pettis and Squires score, 14-3

7^th INNING – OU - Crooks doubles, Graham and Pettis score, 16-3

Notable Numbers

- Oklahoma outhit Liberty, 17-10. The Flames committed both errors in the contest.

- Liberty left eight men on base. Oklahoma left seven.

- Eight of the nine batters in Liberty’s lineup had at least one hit in the contest.

- Starter Dylan Cumming takes the loss. The Flames’ right-hander gave up six runs on eight hits over the first four innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

- The Flames used six pitchers in the contest.

- Oklahoma starter Jake Bennett pitched 5 2/3 innings to record the win. He gave up three runs on nine hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

- Sooners’ right fielder John Spikerman collected a game-high four hits, including his second home run of the season. He drove in four runs and scored twice.

- Fellow Sooner Peyton Graham had two hits, one a grand slam.

Beyond the Box Score

- This afternoon, Liberty made its eighth regional appearance in program history and its third under head coach Scott Jackson.

-  For the first time in program history, the Flames played in an NCAA Regional for the third straight season. Liberty also appeared in regionals the 2019 and 2021.

- Liberty drops its first game of a regional in three seasons. The Flames won their first game over Tennessee in 2019 and Duke in 2021.

- Oklahoma entered the regional ranked No. 9 in the D1Baseball.com National Poll.

- Mathieu records his 18^th multi-hit game of the year for the Flames.

Next Up

The Flames drop to an elimination game in the NCAA Gainesville, Fla. Regional at Condron Family Ballpark tomorrow at 1 p.m. Liberty will face the loser of No. 4 seed Central Michigan and host No. 1 seed Florida later tonight.