Vandy roughed up by Oklahoma in NCAAs

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Vanderbilt's quest for its first-ever berth in the College World Series got off to a rocky start Friday.

Oklahoma battered Commodores redshirt freshman Caleb Cotham for seven runs over 5 2/3 innings and two VU errors also led to runs as the Sooners beat Vanderbilt 8-5 in the opening game of the Tempe Regional at Packard Stadium.

The Commodores [40-21] will have to fight their way out of the losers' bracket to advance to Omaha for the first time in seven NCAA Tournament tries, starting Saturday at 4 p.m. against Stony Brook.

"We're going out tomorrow to win the ball game," said senior David Macias, whose seventh-inning homer narrowed a four-run Oklahoma lead to 7-5. "We're not thinking about being in the losers' bracket. We're just taking it one game at a time."

Vanderbilt had not lost the opening game of an NCAA Tournament regional since 1980.

Cotham (7-6) allowed the seven runs -- five earned -- on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

"I had some chances to stop an inning or two but they got the hits when they needed them," said the right-hander, who has lost three straight starts. "I left it all out there today."

Oklahoma broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth when Aljay Davis hit a leadoff single to left and Mike Gosse singled to right, where right fielder Dominic de la Osa bobbled the ball, allowing Davis to advance to third. Cotham struck out Casey Johnson but J.T. Wise followed with a run-scoring grounder to short to give the Sooners a 3-2 lead.

The Sooners tacked on four more runs on four hits in the sixth against Cotham and they would need nearly every one as the Commodores staged a late-inning rally against Oklahoma starter Andrew Doyle.

Alex Feinberg led off the seventh with a base hit off shortstop Bryant Hernandez's outstretched glove, went to second on a groundout and scored on Jonathan White's RBI single to center.

Macias followed with a towering home run to right, his ninth of the season, to pull Vanderbilt within 7-5 and chase Doyle.

But Chase Anderson retired de la Osa and Pedro Alvarez to close the seventh and Gosse provided some breathing room with a two-out solo homer to right off Brett Jacobson in the eighth to put Oklahoma ahead by three.

The Sooners took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jamie Johnson reached on an error by shortstop Ryan Flaherty and scored on Gosse's sharp single to left.

Vanderbilt answered in the bottom of the inning. Macias and de la Osa had back-to-back singles, Pedro Alvarez walked and Flaherty hit a run-scoring grounder to second, scoring Macias to tie the game 1-1. Doyle struck out Steven Liddle but Andrew Giobbi singled to left, scoring de la Osa to give the Commodores a 2-1 lead.

"I thought we had some momentum at least to come back and capitalize the next inning but it didn't happen," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said. "Until the seventh inning we really didn't get anything else going."

The Sooners tied the game 2-2 in the fourth. Jared Freeman led off with a single and later scored on a Matt Harughty sacrifice fly to center.

Tempe Regional schedule

Friday

Oklahoma 8, Vanderbilt 5

Arizona State 9, Stony Brook 7

Saturday

4 p.m. – Vanderbilt vs. Stony Brook (loser eliminated)

9 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Arizona State

Sunday

3 p.m. – Winner of Game 3 vs. loser of Game 4

8 p.m. – Winner of Game 5 vs. winner of Game 4

Monday (if necessary)

8 p.m. – Repeat of Game 6

All times Central