Willits’ Grand Slam Caps Comeback Win Over ORU

Tuesday, April 21

6:30 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

28-12

Oral Roberts

23-15

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Oral Roberts	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	6	1
Oklahoma	0	1	0	1	1	4	0	0	X	7	8	0

Willits’ Grand Slam Caps Comeback Win Over ORU

April 21, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Final Stats Highlights

NORMAN — No. 14 Oklahoma erased a five-run deficit to come back and beat Oral Roberts by a final of 7-6 Tuesday night at Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman.

Jaxon Willits was the hero on the night, hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the sixth to cap the comeback. The Sooner bullpen finished the job, not allowing the Eagles (23-15) a hit after the fifth inning.

ORU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on a grand slam, the first given up by Sooner pitching in two seasons. OU (28-12) responded in the second with a solo shot off the bat of Deiten Lachance, his fourth home run in the last eight games.

The visitors would add single runs in the third and fourth to push the lead to five runs before OU would score single runs via sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth and fifth to trim the lead to three.

To the sixth, after a single and pair of walks, Willits' launched his first career grand slam on the first pitch he saw to give OU its first lead of the night.

The late-inning bullpen of Nate Smithburg (2.0 IP), Mason Bixby (0.1), Jaden Barfield (0.1), Reid Hensley (0.1) and Xander Mercurius shut out the Eagle offense the final five innings to cap OU's largest comeback victory of the season.

Hensley (1-0) earned his first win of the season, while Mercurius collected the first save of his career, hurling three scoreless, hitless innings with two strikeouts.

Pitchers of Record

Win: Reid Hensley (1-0)
Loss: Connor Johnson (0-1)
Save: Xander Mercurius (1)

Statistical Snapshot

Jaxon Willits | 1-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Deiten Lachance | 2-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Dasan Harris | 1-for-3, 1 RBI
Xander Mercurius | 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Notes

OU improved to 28-12 on the year, 18-5 at home and 7-3 in midweek matchups. The Sooners competed the two-game season sweep of Oral Roberts with the win.
Jaxon Willits hit his first career grand slam on the go-ahead blast in the sixth inning.
Reid Hensley earned his first win of the season, also his first decision of the year. He is 5-2 in his OU career.
Xander Mercurius collected his first career save, going the final three innings and allowing no hits, runs or walks to go with two strikeouts.
The OU pitching staff did not allow a hit the final 4.1 innings of the game.
The Sooners have won six of their last seven games.

Up Next

OU heads to Auburn, Ala., this weekend for the first series in program history at Auburn. OU is 6-1 vs. the Tigers with all seven games coming at neutral sites. It will be the first SEC series vs. the Tigers as the teams did not meet a season ago in OU's inaugural season in the league.

The series begins Friday and can be seen via SECN+ and heard on the radio via The REF 99.3/1400 AM.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on X and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.