Oklahoma tags UNC ace Jason DeCaro for 7 runs to take 7-3 lead in Game 1 of CWS Finals
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Oklahoma wasn’t intimidated one bit by North Carolina ace right-hander Jason DeCaro.
In Game 1 of the College World Series Finals in Omaha, the Sooners had a Saturday afternoon party against DeCaro, striking early and often in building a 7-3 lead in the fourth inning and, even better, getting DeCaro out of the game before he could even finish off that fourth frame.
After Deiten Lachance kept Oklahoma afloat in the early innings by belting 2 home runs, the Sooners struck for 4 runs in the fourth, all coming with 2 outs, to take that 4-run lead as they fought to get the upper hand in the best-of-3 championship series.
The clutch hit that set the stage for OU’s big fourth came from second baseman Kyle Branch, who lined a 2-out, 2-strike, 2-run single to center field that gave the Sooners a 5-3 lead. The huge hit scored Brendan Brock and Dasan Harris.
But Oklahoma was far from done. After Branch stole second and went to third on a wild pitch, Jason Walk delivered with his own single to center, scoring Branch to make it 6-3.
That was it for DeCaro, who allowed an eye-popping 7 runs on 7 hits in 3.2 innings, walking 1 while throwing 83 pitches.
Right-hander Walker McDuffie relieved DeCaro, but Oklahoma remained relentless. After Walk stole second, Camden Johnson ripped an RBI single to right-center field to score Walk and make it 7-3. After Johnson stole second and went to third on a throwing error, Lachance had the opportunity to keep the big inning going and even add his third homer of the day. He flied out to center, but not before the Sooners had seized control of Game 1, at least for the time being.
Oklahoma and North Carolina began their duel in Omaha to see who will be holding that national championship trophy. Here is what the Kalshi market odds currently say about which team has the better shot to be the one celebrating with that trophy:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
