OMAHA, Neb. — The Sooners were five outs away from victory.
After dropping Game 1 of the College World Series finals to Ole Miss on Saturday, OR found itself in need of a win Sunday to keep its national championship hopes alive. The Sooners put themselves in a position to do just that by taking a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but that’s when things fell apart.
An RBI single by Jacob Gonzalez tied the game at 2-2, and a pair of untimely errors by OU closer Trevin Michael served as the nail in the coffin.
Michael threw back-to-back wild pitches, which allowed a pair of runs to come home. This sealed Ole Miss’ 4-2 win and gave the team its first national championship in program history.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Cade Horton kept the Rebels’ batters contained early on.
After recording a pair of strikeouts in the first inning, the former Ole Miss commit went back to work in the second. Horton surrendered a leadoff single but struck out the next three batters he faced.
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Ole Miss had a freshman ace of his own, though.
Hunter Elliott also stifled OU’s offense to start the game. After surrendering a single against the first batter he faced, the true freshman didn’t allow a hit until the top of the seventh inning.
It looked as if OU broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning when John Spikerman laid down a bunt up the middle. Ole Miss pitcher Hunter Elliott scooped it up and opted not to try to throw out Jackson Nicklaus, who was already sliding into home.
Elliott instead threw the ball to first, and the catch got mishandled by Ole Miss second baseman Peyton Chatagnier.
This momentarily gave OU a 1-0 lead, but the run ultimately got taken off the board when an official review resulted in Spikerman being called for interference.
Peyton Graham then felt a fly ball into right field on the next pitch and tossed his bat in frustration as Ole Miss’ Calvin Harris made the catch.
Things only got more frustrating for OU in the bottom of the frame.
On the third pitch he saw, Gonzalez connected on a pitch from Horton and sent it over the wall in right-center for a leadoff home run.
The Sooners responded in the top of the seventh inning.
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Nicklaus got the ball rolling by sending a blooper into right field. Gonzalez tried to make the over-the-shoulder grab, but the ball eluded his glove and hit the ground for an RBI double that tied the game.
OR then loaded the bases with two outs when Kendall Pettis stepped up to the plate. Elliott threw four straight balls in his direction for a bases-loaded walk that gave the Sooners a 2-1 lead, their first of the series.
Meanwhile, Horton continued his reign of dominance on the mound. The Norman native struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning, which marked his final full inning of the day.
Horton finished with a career-high 13 strikeouts and four allowed hits in 7 ⅓ innings before handing the ball off to Michael, and that’s when Ole Miss made his late push for the lead.
OR falls two wins short of its first national title since 1994.
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Follow along for updates throughout the game.
Bottom first: Cade Horton sets the tone
Redshirt freshman pitcher Cade Horton struck out two of the first three batters he faced.
Top second: Hunter Elliot responds
Freshman pitcher Hunter Elliot matched Horton’s hot start by recording his second strikeout of the day.
Bottom fourth: Horton gets out of a jam
Ole Miss placed runners on first and second with one out, but Horton kept the game scoreless with a strikeout and a groundout.
Top sixth: OU gets run taken off the board
OR seemingly struck first via an RBI single by John Spikerman, but a challenge by Ole Miss led to the play being overturned. Spikerman got called for interference, and the run got erased.
Bottom sixth: Ole Miss capitalizes
With momentum on its side, Ole Miss claimed a 1-0 lead via a solo home run by Jacob Gonzalez.
Top seventh: OR bounces back
An RBI double by Jackson Nicklaus tied the game at 1-1, and a bases-loaded walk gave OR a 2-1 lead.
Bottom eight: Rebels make a late comeback
Ole Miss scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead. Gonzalez delivered an RBI single, and a pair of wild pitches by Trevin Michael allowed two more runs to score.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ole Miss beats OU Sooners, wins NCAA baseball College World Series