After a crushing 17-6 defeat last night to No. 2 Arkansas, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma Sooners made the first step in winning the regional Sunday afternoon by defeating No. 3 seed Washington St. at 7-2.

In a 2-2 pitchers' duel early on, Junior first baseman Aaron Baker connected on a Adam Conley pitch for his first career grand slam to boost the Sooners into the championship round.

Junior right-hander Garrett Richards earned his ninth win of the season, striking out 10 batters in a five-hit complete game victory.

The Sooners now must turn around tonight and play Arkansas in a do-or-die situation, needing to defeat the Razorbacks twice in order to advance to NCAA Super Regional play.

The Sooners are now 0-2 on the season when playing the Arkansas Razorbacks. In the two defeats, the Razorbacks have outscored the Sooners 25-13.

In the double-elimination format, the Razorbacks can eliminate the Sooners tonight with a victory. However if the Sooners are to win tonight, the two teams will face off on Monday at 7 P.M. with the winner advancing to the next round. With two wins, the Sooners will earn the right to host a Super Regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. 

Games six and seven can be viewed online for free on Soonersports.com.