Kyson Witherspoon fans career-high 12, Sooners hold on

That’ll do Kyson. That’ll do. 

Oklahoma baseball opened the Round Rock Classic on Friday with a 3-2 win over Minnesota. 

As for Oklahoma’s ace Kyson Witherspoon? Superb.

But it didn’t go without a hiccup. That’s singular. One. One hiccup to be exact after allowing a solo home run on the third pitch of the game to Josh Fitzgerald, Witherspoon proceeded to retire the next 13 batters he faced, striking out the side in the fifth and the sixth and allowing just a pair of singles in the fifth and seventh.   

He exited his second start of the season with a career-high 12 strikeouts. 

Thanks in part to Witherspoon’s career-outing, Oklahoma’s offense escaped despite stranding eight runners on base and striking out 13 times. 

After Oklahoma left the bases loaded in the first, Oklahoma used a pair of two-out base hits to tie the game and take the lead.

Kyle Branch fourth inning RBI single made a leadoff Trey Gambill walk costly, tying the game 1-1. One inning later, Sam Christiansen delivered a go-ahead RBI single bringing home Jason Walk after leading off the inning with his second double of the season. 

Minnesota relief pitcher Will Whelan rode the rollercoaster in the eighth, allowing a leadoff Jaxon Willits single and walking the next two batters. He then balked in the Sooners insurance run, extending the lead to 3-1, escaping the jam with a pop up to first and a strikeout. 

Five different Sooners recorded a hit on a tough offensive day in terms of production with wind whipping around Dell Diamond Ballpark and temperatures hovering above freezing.

BULLPEN FINDS A WAY 

Oklahoma’s bullpen will be a work in progress here over the first few weeks of the season. We knew that going in. Not so much if there’s talent but rather who’s going to be ‘the guy’ in high leverage situations. 

On Friday, Jamie Hitt, Michael Catalano and Dylan Crooks combined to throw the final three innings for Oklahoma in relief of Witherspoon. 

If Hitt was looking to get past a frustrating junior season, he’ll want to forget Friday. Hitt beaned the first batter he faced in the eighth and allowed a one out-single before Catalano shut the door on the Gopher scoring threat. A treat for the freshman Catalano, who has escaped inherited jams in both of his appearances this season. 

Dylan Crooks recorded the final four outs for his first save of the season, aided in part by a run-saving defensive web gem by second baseman Kyle Branch to end the eighth.  

BRANCH PAIR OF WEB GEMS

Freshman Kyle Branch delivered a pair of outstanding defensive efforts in the seventh and eighth innings to go along with his game-tying RBI single in the fourth. 

Branch laid out to rob Drew Berkland of a leadoff single in the seventh diving into shallow right field. Then one inning later it was Branch- again – saving a would-be game tying single by ranging to his left and delivering a throw to Dayton Tockey at first to retire the side. 

balked one home 🏠 3-1 Sooners with the bases loaded! pic.twitter.com/qb167M8bDK

— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) February 21, 2025

The Flower Mound native has received praise from head coach Skip Johnson with comparisons to what we saw a year ago from then freshman Jaxon Willits. Oklahoma has a chance to be really good up the middle for years to come. 

NEXT UP

Oklahoma will close out the Round Rock Classic with a pair of top-10 match-ups against No. 7 Oregon State on Saturday (4 p.m.) and No. 2 Virginia on Sunday (4 p.m.). Both games will be broadcast on D1Baseball.com. There is a chance for inclement weather on Saturday, stay up to date on the Crimson Corner.