OU baseball edges Virginia Tech in Game 1 of NCAA super regionals, closes in on CWS berth

When Kendall Pettis steps up to the plate, he isn't looking to hit a home run.

The 5-11, 187-pound redshirt sophomore, who bats ninth in OU's lineup, has never been known to swing for the fences. Instead, he has a different target in mind.

"I know I'm not a home run hitter or anything," Pettis said. "I'm just looking for a pitch to drive up the middle. I'm really trying to take the pitcher's head off. That's my mentality."

Pettis stayed ahead of the competition on Friday. He recorded a pair of RBIs on 2-for-4 hitting during OU’s 5-4 victory at Virginia Tech in Game 1 of the Blacksburg Super Regional.

The Sooners are now one win away from booking their ticket to the College World Series. OU can book its ticket to the College World Series with a win on Saturday at 11 a.m.

"It's just one more," Pettis said. "We're not really trying to focus on Omaha or whatever... We just have to take it pitch by pitch, step by step."

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After being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Gainesville Regional, Pettis continued his hot streak in the top of the second inning.

The Sooners held a 1-0 lead when he sent a line drive into left field for an RBI single, and John Spikerman delivered an RBI single of his own on the next at-bat to make it a 3-0 contest.

Virginia Tech tried to respond in the bottom of the frame, but Jake Bennett had other plans.

The Hokies placed runners on the corners with two outs when Carson DeMartini sent a ground ball toward first base. Robertson scooped the ball up and tossed it to Bennett, who broke into an all-out sprint to the bag.

He toe-tapped it right before a diving DeMartini could get his hand on it, saving a run and getting the Sooners out of a jam.

Bennett faced a similar situation in the following frame when Virginia Tech placed runners on the corners with two outs once again. This time Cade Hunter stepped up to the plate and battled to a 2-2 count.

Bennett took a deep breath before sending a fastball in the direction of Hunter, who didn’t swing as it landed in the strike zone for the final out.

"I thought Jake was really good," OU head coach Skip Johnson said. "Our offense kind of took over, which let him kind of settle in and make some quality pitches."

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OU added to its lead in the top of the sixth inning when Brett Squires sent a line drive into right field for an RBI single.

Pettis then struck again on the following at-bat. While he didn’t take the head off Virginia Tech’s pitcher, he still drove a ball up the heart of the team’s defense for an RBI single that pushed the lead to 5-0.

But the Hokies mounted a late comeback.

Carson Jones delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to trim the deficit to 5-2, and the home team kept chipping away in the seventh.

Virginia Tech had two outs when a throwing error by Peyton Graham allowed Tanner Schobel to reach first base. Johnson then walked out to the mound to talk to Bennett and opted to keep the star pitcher in the game.

On Bennett’s very next pitch, Jack Hurley crushed a two-run homer to make it a 5-4 contest.

Bennett struck out the following batter to end both the inning and his day. He finished with eight strikeouts and one earned run.

Trevin Michael then took over from there. The graduate closer struck out four of the red-hot Hokies’ final six batters to put all hopes of a comeback to an end.

"He kept (Virginia Tech) off balance," Johnson said of Michael. "That's the biggest thing that he does is keep them off balance. I thought he did well... They have a really good offense. We have to continue to take it one pitch at a time."

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Michael got some help from Spikerman on the final out of the contest.

Gavin Cross, Virginia Tech’s star player and a projected top pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, stepped up to the plate as his team trailed 5-4 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. He swung on the third pitch he saw and sent a shallow shot into right field.

In came Spikerman, who dove face-first into the grass at Atlantic Union Bank. The freshman collided with the ground, losing his sunglasses in the process, but he managed to snag the ball for the final out of the game.

Spikerman quickly rose to his feet and pounded his chest as a silent Virginia Tech crowd watched on.

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NCAA Blacksburg Super Regional

OU vs. Virginia Tech (best-of-3 series):

Game 1: Oklahoma 5, Virginia Tech 4

Game 2: 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPNU)

x-Game 3: TBD (if necessary)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU Sooners beat Virginia Tech in NCAA baseball super regional Game 1