On the cusp of their first trip to the College World Series since 1995, Cody Reine made sure the Sooners didn’t fall short this time.
For the second-consecutive game, the sophomore right fielder blasted two home runs to carry U. Oklahoma (49-16) back to Omaha with a 11-0 victory over No. 1 Virginia (51-14) in Charlottesville, Va.
After going 0-for-4 in the Sooners’ 3-2 loss Saturday in the Charlottesville Super Regional opener, Reine (2-for-3) broke loose with two home runs and five RBIs to keep OU’s season alive Sunday in the second game of the best-of-three series.
Reine followed up that performance with a 3-for-5 game Monday, knocking out two more homers and driving home six runs in the decisive game three.
He didn’t do it alone, however, as the Sooners pounded out 12 hits, with sophomore catcher Tyler Ogle and sophomore first baseman Cameron Seitzer each adding solo home runs.
The Sooners never trailed as Reine’s three-run shot in the top of the first inning put OU ahead to stay.
The team tacked on runs in the second, fifth, sixth and eighth innings to turn the early lead into a rout.
Reine’s second three-run blast in the eighth put the finishing touches on the night, as OU denied Virginia its second-straight trip to Omaha and clinched its first trip back to the College World Series in 15 years.
Virginia started the game with undefeated freshman pitcher Branden Kline (5-1), but the Sooners rocked the righty for four runs as Kline was pulled after Seitzer’s solo shot put OU in front 4-0.
A pitching change failed to slow OU down as the Cavaliers, the nation’s No. 5 seed, cycled through five pitchers in the game, with junior Tyler Wilson lasting the longest in 3 2/3 innings.
Junior pitcher Bobby Shore (10-4) earned the win for the Sooners, holding the Cavaliers to four hits with five strikeouts in eight innings.
Junior pitcher Ryan Duke closed out the game, allowing one hit during the ninth inning in his first action since April.
But ultimately the night once again belonged to the Walker, La., native, who exploited Davenport Field and the Cavaliers for his coming-out party.
Entering the second game, Reine had only six home runs and 31 RBIs in 46 games. In OU’s last two games, Reine posted four homers and 11 RBIs.
With the win, the Sooners handed Virginia its first back-to-back losses of the season and its first shutout loss in two years.
The No. 11 Sooners move on to face South Carolina at 1 p.m. Sunday in the NCAA College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
The Gamecocks defeated No. 4 national seed Coastal Carolina with a pair of one-run victories Saturday and Sunday to sweep past the Chanticleers in the Myrtle Beach Super Regional in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
OU will make its 10th appearance, and first under head coach Sunny Golloway, in the eight-team double-elimination tournament.
The Sooners were national champions in 1951 and 1994, but have not been back since losing to Florida State and USC in 1995.