Oklahoma (2-1) was able to bounce back from their loss to Oregon (2-0) Friday night, closing out their time at the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, with a 5-1 win over Tennessee (1-1) and a 7-6 win over Nebraska (1-2).
OU’s experienced roster made the necessary plays over the weekend, giving the Sooners two wins to close out their time at Globe Life Field.
Sophomore catcher Easton Carmichael entered the lineup as OU’s designated hitter against Tennessee Saturday night. Carmichael struggled at catcher over the weekend, with a drop and an overthrow that resulted in two runs for Nebraska Sunday morning, but shined as the designated hitter, leading the team with a .538 batting average, two runs and three hits.
Junior outfielder John Spikerman added to the Sooners’ success with a .333 batting average, one run and two hits against the Volunteers on Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ weekend in Arlington:
Oklahoma wins in extra innings
How’s that for a birthday present, @CoachJohnsonOU⁉️ pic.twitter.com/kPnWeCJ7Ez
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) February 18, 2024
Both teams remained scoreless through the first three innings. Tennessee came close in the bottom of the third, but two straight strikeouts from redshirt junior pitcher Brendan Girton and a tremendous defensive play by redshirt senior outfielder Kendall Pettis held Tennessee to no runs. An RBI by sophomore Rocco Garza-Gongora resulted in a Carmichael run, putting the Sooners on the board in the top of the fourth inning. However, the Volunteers immediately responded with a home run from left fielder Dylan Dreiling.
The game remained tied through the ninth inning, but the Sooners were able to score four runs in the top of the tenth.
Back-to-back walks for freshman shortstop Jaxon Willits and junior infielder Jackson Nicklaus put the Sooners within reach of a winning run. An RBI from Spikerman resulted in a Willits run, giving the Sooners a 2-1 lead over the Volunteers. This was followed by a Spikerman run after a hit from Carmichael, and Garza-Gongora batted in both Carmichael and senior outfielder Bryce Madron, giving the Sooners a 5-1 lead heading to the bottom of the tenth.
Junior pitcher Ryan Lambert closed out the game for the Sooners. Lambert, the transfer from Missouri State, entered the game for Oklahoma midway through the ninth inning and finished the game with one-plus innings, one hit and two strikeouts.
The win over Tennessee gave the Sooners their first top-10 win of the season.
Sooner battle-back against the Huskers
Oklahoma had less than 12 hours after their victory over Tennessee before they faced Nebraska Sunday morning, and they got off to a rocky start.
Two errors for Oklahoma immediately put Nebraska on the board. The Huskers were down two strikes, but an overthrow and a drop from Carmichael on the third strike resulted in two runs for the Huskers in the top of the first inning.
Freshman utility Jason Walk was able to score for the Sooners on a throwing error in the bottom of the third inning to give them their first run of the game. However, two RBI’s by Nebraska’s Joshua Overbeek put the Huskers up 5-1.
Oklahoma was able to score two runs in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI from Garza-Gongora led to a Spikerman run, and Madron was able to score on a wild pitch. The Sooners entered the sixth inning down 5-3. A home run to right field for Madron put the Sooners within one run of tying the game in the bottom of the seventh, but Oklahoma still trailed 6-5 heading into the ninth inning.
Oklahoma needed two runs for the walk-off win. A double from redshirt senior Michael Snyder led to a Spikerman run, and a walk-off single from Willits gave Snyder the run, lifting the Sooners to a 7-6 victory over Nebraska.
Redshirt junior pitcher James Hitt started for the Sooners Sunday morning. Hitt appeared in 17 games for the Sooners last season and was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. In five innings, Hitt delivered nine strikeouts, but allowed three straight hits in the top of the fifth. Hitt exited the game after five innings with five hits, five runs, two walks and ten strikeouts.
Oklahoma had numerous pitching changes after Hitt left the game.
Freshman pitcher Brad Pruett made his Sooners debut in the sixth inning, with one run and one walk in less than one innings pitched. Carter Campbell, the senior pitcher, entered the game at the midpoint of the sixth inning, recording one hit and one strikeout, before senior Jett Lodes took over in the top of the seventh. Lodes pitched one-plus inning with one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
Junior Jace Miner entered the game for Oklahoma, closing out the eighth inning, and Junior Dylan Crooks recorded one strikeout in one inning pitched, closing out the top of the ninth inning.
Oklahoma’s transfer portal success
The Sooners addressed many of their needs in the transfer portal, and the commitments they gained during the off-season have initially seemed to improve the success of the team.
Redshirt junior Brendan Girton and junior Scott Mudler made their first career starts for Oklahoma against Tennessee.
Mudler, who started at catcher for the Sooners on Saturday, transferred from Northwest Florida State College alongside Kyson and Malachi Witherspoon. Mudler finished the game with a .333 batting average, one hit and one walk.
Girton, the transfer from Texas Tech, shined in his debut as the Sooner’s starting pitcher Saturday night. He exited the game after four innings with three hits, one run, one earned run, three walks and nine strikeouts.
Sophomore pitcher Kyson Witherspoon also made his Sooners debut against the Volunteers. Witherspoon entered the game for Girton at the beginning of the fifth inning, and added to a night of success for OU’s pitching staff. Witherspoon exited the game after four-plus innings with three hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
Redshirt senior Michael Snyder also made a huge play for the Sooners. The transfer from Washington hit a double on Sunday against the Huskers, leading to a Spikerman run that tied the game 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning, keeping the Sooners’ hopes alive. Snyder then ran home off of a Willits single, giving the Sooners the walk-off victory.
Oklahoma will face Dallas Baptist Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in Dallas, Texas.
