Oklahoma baseball rallies, evens Texas series with 8-6 win

It almost seemed improbable for Oklahoma baseball. 

Less than 24 hours after Texas came from behind to take the opener, clinching a regular season SEC title, Oklahoma found itself in yet another uncomfortable position.

Perhaps that’s what makes college baseball such a beautiful sport. Anything can happen. Add in a little Red River Rivalry to the equation and you get what happened on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at L. Dale Mitchell Ballpark. 

Just as quickly as it had flipped the night before, Oklahoma rallied for three runs in the eighth, highlighted by a Dawson Willis two-run go-ahead home run, evening the series with a 8-6 win over No. 3 Texas. 

“I think the difference is fighting back. You played really good and all of the sudden you give the momentum back,” said Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson. “They now know they can keep fighting back.

“It was a combination of a lot of things that happened in the game. Reid (Hensley) doing what he did. Dawson (Willis) doing what he did. (Brayden) Horton getting a big hit. (Scott) Mudler getting a big hit. It was really big.” 

The story of Friday night’s victory comes with some unlikely cast of characters. There’s a lot to unpack from the dramatic come from behind victory.

Can’t put away the ‘Horns

Before you get to Dawson Willis’ biggest swing of his Oklahoma career, you have to understand where this game was at. 

Oklahoma led 5-1 heading to the fifth. Cade Crossland was cruising through four innings. He toed the rubber in fifth already matching his career-high eight strikeouts. Then the bottom fell out. 

Texas opened the inning with a pair of free passes. And as we’ve learned before, you can’t do that against a ballclub like the Horns. 

Ethan Mendoza brought in a run with a hit to left. Rylan Galvan two-run double made it 5-4. Jalin Flores welcomed Jamie Hitt to the game with a game-tying triple. Adrian Rodriguez capped the Horns five-run fifth with a go-ahead single to centerfield. 

Momentum had swung. And there was a sense of dread around The Dale. The feeling that comes with a letdown and another head scratching performance.

After Texas took the lead in the fifth, seven of Oklahoma’s next nine batters struck out. Murmurs about where this season was headed began to surface. Things were becoming quite dark. 

Mudler, Horton set table for comeback 

Down to its final six outs Friday, Oklahoma needed a spark. Scott Mudler served as the table-setter, shooting a leadoff double to the right-centerfield gap. Kyle Branch sacrificed pinch-runner Brandon Cain to third. Setting the table for Brayden Horton. 

Horton opened the Oklahoma scoring in the second inning with his first-career home run. The fact he even found himself in the lineup on Friday was a bit of an oddity, considering it was just his fourth start of the season. 

After falling behind in the count 0-2, Horton battled back. And the hit that Oklahoma had been searching for finally came to the surface. Horton laced a game-tying single to centerfield. The Sooners had a new life. 

“There’s not a kid that doesn’t stay late, hits and works at it like him. He works extremely hard at it. To get that opportunity and exploit it because we believed in him. He struggled through a lot of times. We tried to play him earlier at Alabama and he struggled. It was like he got more comfortable as the night went on,” said Johnson. 

Horton finished the night going 2-for-3 with two RBI, also made a key play defensively in the ninth, getting a force out at second. More to come on that. 

Hensley lights out, Willis heroics

The catalyst in Oklahoma’s comeback Friday night may very well be senior right-hander Reid Hensley. Hensley threw 3.1 innings, allowing a hit and striking out a career-high six. He gave his Oklahoma teammates a chance. Bottomline. 

Which leads to the bottom of the eighth and perhaps the most unlikely bat in the Sooners lineup, lifting the go-ahead two shot. 

Dawson Willis entered Friday night without a hit since April 26. He was 0-for-his-last-21. And, of course because baseball, it was Willis who lumbered to the plate in the eighth. With one swing, he flipped a 6-6 game to an 8-6 lead. 

“It felt amazing. It’s as big as any other. I know it’s a rivalry game and obviously that’s a really big moment but it felt really good to help the team out and get the win,” said Willis after going 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs. “Once I started rounding first I saw it go over the wall and was like ‘let’s go’.” 

Powerful moment when considering his team’s slump and a personal slump at the plate. 

“It was huge. You watched him play last night and he struggled. The game wants you to feel sorry for yourself. And if you attack it, it will help you out. You will benefit from it. It’s the spirit of the game. I can’t explain it. It’s not any magic pill or magic dust. It’s hard work and determination. I think you saw the grit of our team as we played through that game,” said Johnson. 

Crooks closes the door, earned 13th save

Surely you didn’t think the ninth inning wouldn’t come and pass without a little drama. 

A night after giving up a three-run home run in the ninth to Texas’ Max Belyeu, Oklahoma closer Dylan Crooks found himself right back on the top of the mound three outs away from a save. 

He struck out Kimble Scheussler for the first out. Jalin Flores and Adrian Rodriguez then delivered back to back singles. After hitting the next batter, the bases were loaded. 

Not again, right? 

Crooks then matched up with freshman phenom Jonah Williams off the Longhorn bench, ending the game with a fly out to left field on a 3-2 pitch. 

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, everyone could breathe. Everyone being an L. Dale Mitchell record setting 5,177 attendance. The save was Crooks 13th of the year, matching the most by a Sooner in a single season since Ryan Duke in 2009. 

Next up

Oklahoma and Texas rubber game will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday.