Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma
Game one of the championship series had it all. We saw two fantastic pitching performances from Jack Dougherty and Jake Bennett.
Dougherty had a perfect game entering the sixth inning, and Bennett was great, as he punched out 10 over six-plus innings of work. However, if Bennett got more help from his defense early on, the story of game one might have been very different.
After Oklahoma spoiled a big opportunity to tie the game in the sixth, Ole Miss would break it open in the eighth. TJ McCants, Calvin Harris and Justin Bench would hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to make it a six-run ball game.
However, that's all in the history book, as game two has a national title hanging in the balance. Fireballer Cade Horton will get the ball for the Sooners, and he'll be opposed by the Rebels' Hunter Elliott.
Both of these starters have been fantastic in the postseason and are significant reasons why each of their clubs have gotten to this point.
So, can the Sooners claw back and force a winner-take-all game tomorrow night? Or will we be crowning a new national champion?
Let's take a closer look to find out.
Rebels' Luck Due to Run Out Against Horton
If you look at Horton's numbers, they're not pretty, as he enters this massive start with a 5.24 ERA and .283 BAA. However, in a media appearance a few days ago, Horton noted that he had reworked his slider prior to the Big 12 Tournament, and it's made all the difference.
Horton has been dominant since that point. In four starts, he's thrown 23.2 innings, allowed seven runs and has struck out 36 batters. We'll see that devastating slider a lot in this outing, along with a fastball that regularly hits 97 mph.
Horton's arsenal is quite different from what the Rebels saw last night from Bennett. Horton will throw his slider to both righties and lefties, whereas Bennett opts to use his change-up to righties and his slider to lefties. Also, the uptick in velocity will make the slider harder to pick up.
Ole Miss may have used up all its two-out magic last night. The Rebels scored eight of their 10 runs with two outs.
Seven of those runs were earned and the Rebels racked up 16 hits, so that's not to discredit their work, but to generate three separate two-out rallies is improbable and surely won't be replicated again this afternoon.
Sooners to Play Long Game at Plate
The Oklahoma lineup is very potent, but what makes it unique is its late discipline and pitch selection.
The Sooners need to use that against Elliott. The Ole Miss lefty has been tremendous down the stretch, but his bad outings all have one thing in common: free passes.
In two of his last four starts, Elliott has walked five. In the other two outings, he had no walks against Southern Miss and two against Arkansas.
We saw last night how the Sooners could generate opportunities with discipline, as they loaded the bases in the sixth with no one out. They would pick up two runs thanks to an error on a sacrifice bunt and then a bases-loaded walk, but the rally would end there, as Peyton Graham and Blake Robertson struck out.
Robertson was asked about that spot in the post-game press conference and believes that the Sooners are due to get it going.
"It happens. It's baseball. Me and Peyton were talking about we're going to get up again. Success is coming," he said. "Tanner Tredaway picked us up working the walk, which that helped big-time. It happens. Hats off to them for taking the momentum of the game."
We should see Graham and Roberston make bigger impacts in this matchup, as they were each on 17-game hitting streaks entering game one.
Graham's was snapped — as he went 0-for-4 four — but Roberston added a late RBI single to keep his streak alive.
However, those two are not alone, as John Spikerman and Tredaway each have on-base streaks of 22 and 18 games, respectively.
Those four make up the top of the order for the Sooners and will be trouble for Elliott, especially if he has trouble finding the zone.
Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma Betting Analysis & Pick
Ole Miss' performance last night was impressive, and it showed just how it got here by rallying and putting it all together.
However, the Rebels are in for a buzzsaw with Horton on the mound. Horton has some of the best stuff in college baseball and should give the Rebels fits.
On the other side, this Oklahoma lineup was held quiet, as it didn't have a baserunner for half the game and spoiled an ample opportunity after that.
However, the top of the Sooners' order is very dangerous and is due to produce. Look for the Sooners to get going early, as they'll force Elliott to work and try to create a lot of traffic on the bases.
In the end, we should see the Sooners' offense have much more success this afternoon while Horton overpowers the Rebels to force a game three.
Pick: Oklahoma +110
