2010 College World Series: Oklahoma Waits Out Rain To Beat South Carolina

The schedule said that the game would start at 1 pm local time. Mother nature overruled and decided that after 5 pm was better. For five and a half innings, the fans in attendance were treated to some thrilling baseball, but apparently that angered mother nature so a rain delay was in order. Finally, with the rain still coming down, the two teams were able to finish the game. It was long, it was grueling, but for Oklahoma, it was worth it as they took down South Carolina, 4-3.

With the win, Oklahoma moved on to the winner’s bracket in the double elimination format to play the winner of the Arizona St. vs. Clemson game. That game was supposed to follow the Sooners and Gamecocks contest, but the rain pushed the Sun Devils and Tigers back a day. While the Sooners will take on the loser of that game, the Gamecocks will have to play the loser on Tuesday in an elimination game.

Early runs set the tone for the game as each team was able to scratch out single runs in some innings. For the Gamecocks, it was in two innings that they put one spots on the board, but the Sooners bested them by doing that in three frames. With a 3-2 lead going into the rain delay, Oklahoma was sitting pretty, but the finish wasn’t nearly as easy as they would have hoped. In the seventh, the Gamecocks put one in scoring position and in the eighth, they loaded the bases.

A solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning by Garrett Buechele gave the Sooners some breathing room at 4-2, but it still wasn’t easy on Oklahoma.

In the ninth inning, South Carolina loaded up the bases with just one out, but a pop up got the Sooners out number two. That brought South Carolina’s best hitter, Jackie Bradley Jr. to the plate and the Sooners wanted no part of him. Bradley walked on four pitches to force a run in, but it worked out okay for Oklahoma when the next batter flew out to center, ending the game.

Caleb Bushyhead was one of two Sooners to record multiple hits, going 2-3 with a pair of RBI and a run. Cody Reine was the other, going 2-4 with a run scored. While the normally explosive Sooner offense was held relatively quiet, the Oklahoma pitchers got the job done. Starting pitcher Michael Rocha allowed just two runs on five hits in six innings, then the Oklahoma bullpen held on to preserve the win.

Finally back underway, Oklahoma is doing their best to hold on to a slim 3-2 lead. After the game resumed in the bottom of the sixth, the Gamecocks got a runner into scoring position in the top of the seventh, only to leave him stranded. In the eighth inning, South Carolina loaded up the bases, but Brady Thomas’ hard line drive to right field was right at Oklahoma right fielder Cody Reine.

So, despite their best efforts, South Carolina is still down a run in the bottom of the eighth inning with just one last turn at bat to even things up.

It may have taken some time, but Oklahoma and South Carolina have finally resumed their game following a lengthy rain delay. The game was left off with Oklahoma leading, 3-2, in the middle of the sixth inning and that is where it has picked up again.

Of course, as soon as the team got going again, it started to rain again. It’s not coming down too hard so if it stays like this, the Gamecocks and Sooners should be able to finish this game in a light rain.

So, the rain won’t go away and now there’s hail in the area, making it less and less likely that South Carolina and Oklahoma will be able to finish their game, currently tied 3-2 in the middle of the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has announced that the second game of today’s planned double header between Arizona St. and Clemson will not be played tonight. Those two teams will kick off tomorrow’s action at 11 am EDT instead.

They had to wait over four hours to start the game, then got to the middle of the sixth inning, but mother nature wins again. With Oklahoma holding on to a 3-2 lead over South Carolina, the two teams had to leave the field due to lightning in the area, then the rain started and now everyone is waiting.

Technically, the game can start again at 8:29 pm EDT, but with the rain still falling, that’s a long shot. We’ll just have to wait and see if these two teams cane get back on the field today, but this all but rules out the second game of the double header, Arizona St. vs. Clemson, being played today.

Through four innings of play, neither Oklahoma nor South Carolina has been able to put together a major rally, but that doesn’t mean the teams can’t get on the board. After a rain delay that made the Sooners and Gamecocks wait more than four hours, the two teams finally got on the field and started putting up some ones. For the Gamecocks, twice they scored a run in an inning and in three innings the Sooners scored a run to give them a 3-2 edge.

After South Carolina couldn’t get on the board in the top half of the first, the Sooners started their ups with a base hit. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second, Tyler Ogle hit one to right center for a RBI single to put the Sooners up, 1-0.

It took the Gamecocks all of two pitches to even it up in the second when Christian Walker led off the inning with a solo blast on the second pitch he saw. Oklahoma’s Matt Bushyhead grabbed that lead right back in the bottom of the second though, with a solo shot of his own.

In the fourth inning, Jackie Bradley Jr. showed why he is considered one of the nation’s top hitters when he put one into the right field seats, but just as was the case in the second, Bushyhead answered, this time with a RBI single.

Coming into the game, South Carolina starting pitcher Blake Cooper was supposed to give the Gamecocks an edge on the mound, but that hasn’t been the case. He’s had good movement on his two-seam fastball, but almost too much movement as it’s been coming back more than Cooper would like and getting a good chunk of the plate. If the senior can’t buckle down here and show his All-American form, the Gamecocks could become another victim to the hot Oklahoma offense.