Dawson Willis stepped up to the plate in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth with two outs.
With a runner on third, a run driven in would certainly give Oklahoma comfort with senior right-hander Dylan Crooks heading to the mound in the ninth inning.
On a 1-1 pitch, the third baseman sent a towering fly ball to left field and cleared the fence for a go-ahead two-run home run against No. 3 Texas (41-11, 21-8 SEC), and gave Oklahoma (33-18, 14-15) a lead it would never give back.
“It felt amazing,” Willis said on Friday. “I know it’s a rivalry game and obviously that’s a really big moment, so it felt really good just to help out the team and get the win.”
Coming into Friday, Willis was in a 0-for-21 slump, but had the biggest hit of the night and potentially his career, as the Sooners took the second game of the series against Texas 8-6.
WE GOT 5️⃣ ON IT@DawsonWillis15 pic.twitter.com/kYe21oKCpn
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) May 17, 2025
“You watched him play last night, and he struggled,” head coach Skip Johnson said about Willis. “The game wants you to feel sorry for yourself, and if you attack it, it will help you out.”
It was similar to the homer Willis hit against Mississippi State back on March 22, in the second SEC series of the season, where the game was tied at 11 until Willis hit a go-ahead two-run home run to left field. The home run was very uncharacteristic for how the Sooners played Friday, as they mostly relied on bunts, stealing bases, and moving over the runner.
small ball Sooners‼️ 4-1! pic.twitter.com/rVEB6evWc1
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) May 17, 2025
Much like Friday’s game, the Sooners jumped out to an early lead and gave the lead back, but this time, OU came through in the clutch.
Although junior left-hander Cade Crossland allowed six runs in 4.2 innings of work, he had a 10-strikeout performance and kept OU in the game. Senior right-hander Reid Hensley followed Crossland and tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Hensley now has a 2.73 earned run average this season.
leave 'em there, @Reid_hens6 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xa7U4dPeG8
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) May 17, 2025
Junior infielder/outfielder Brayden Horton, who hit his first home run of the season in the second inning, came through again with a base hit up the middle to tie the game. The bottom of the order went 5-for-8 in Friday’s win.
“He works extremely hard,” Johnson said of Horton. “And to get that opportunity… he never wavered. He kept practicing, and he was the next man up, which was beautiful to see.”
The end of the game featured a bit of drama after Texas loaded the bases, but Crooks was able to escape the jam. Oklahoma’s win on Friday snapped their five-game losing streak and provided an opportunity to take the series against the Longhorns.
The series and regular season finale will be on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park on SEC Network+.
What channel is Oklahoma vs. Texas on today?
TV: SEC Network+
Start time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: L. Dale Mitchell Park
Notes: Oklahoma (32-18, 13-15 SEC) and Texas (41-10, 21-7 SEC) will meet for the second game of the weekend series. The Longhorns won 7-4 on Thursday to take the series opener and clinch the best record in the SEC. Junior left-hander Cade Crossland will start for the Sooners on Friday.
Oklahoma Baseball Schedule
Feb. 14: OU 11, Lehigh 3; OU 13, Lehigh 3 (8 innings)
Feb. 15: OU 12, Lehigh 1 (7 innings)
Feb. 21: OU 3, Minnesota 2
Feb. 22: OU 8, Oregon State 4
Feb. 23: OU 5, Virginia 4 (12 innings)
Feb. 25: OU 15, Texas Southern 4 (7 innings)
Feb. 26: OU 5, Texas Southern 4
Feb. 28: OU 9, CSUN 0
March 1: OU 10, CSUN 2
March 2: OU 3, CSUN 2
March 4: Dallas Baptist 11, OU 0 (7 innings)
March 7: OU 6, Sam Houston 5
March 9: OU 7, Sam Houston 3; OU 9, Sam Houston 7 (7 innings)
March 12: OU 9, Louisiana Tech 5
March 14: OU 8, South Carolina 5
March 15: South Carolina 11, OU 5
March 16: OU 6, South Carolina 5 (10 innings)
March 18: OU 7, UT Arlington 6
March 21: Mississippi State 2, OU 1
March 22: OU 13, Mississippi State 11
March 23: OU 7, Mississippi State 3
March 25: OU 11, Oral Roberts 2
March 28: Alabama 8, OU 6
March 29: OU 6, Alabama 5
March 30: Alabama 8, OU 6
April 1: OU 8, Texas Tech 6
April 3: LSU 2, OU 0
April 4: LSU 10, OU 2
April 5: LSU 3, OU 2
April 8: Dallas Baptist 9, OU 1
April 11: OU 9, Vanderbilt 4
April 12: OU 14, Vanderbilt 0 (7 innings)
April 13: Vanderbilt 13, OU 2 (8 innings)
April 15: OU 11, Oklahoma State 1 (8 innings)
April 17: OU 17, Missouri 4 (8 innings)
April 18: OU 17, Missouri 7 (8 innings); OU 12, Missouri 1 (7 innings)
April 22: Oral Roberts 5, OU 3
April 24: OU 8, Georgia 6
April 25: Georgia 10, OU 9
April 26: Georgia 6, OU 3
May 2: OU 2, Mississippi 0
May 3: OU 5, Mississippi 3
May 4: Mississippi 7, OU 3
May 9: Kentucky 4, OU 3
May 10: Kentucky 8, OU 5
May 11: Kentucky 7, OU 2
May 15: Texas 7, OU 4
May 16: vs. Texas at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+
May 17: vs. Texas at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+
This story was edited by Parker Coyne.
