Sooners baseball beats Texas in front of record crowd

It had been a little bit of a cat and mouse chase for Oklahoma men’s athletics. The Sooner faithful show up in droves only to be disappointed. It’s happened across the street at the Lloyd Noble Center . It happened here at L. Dale Mitchell Ballpark earlier this season. *Whispers* Remember the first Bedlam matchup of the year against Oklahoma State? 

Friday night in front of a new L. Dale Mitchell Ballpark record of 4,812 fans, it happened again. Only this time? Sooners fans went home happy.

Oklahoma took advantage of five Texas errors and starter Braden Davis did more than enough in a 9-4 series-opening victory. The Sooners ninth consecutive victory and fifth straight against the Horns. 

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY

Kendall Pettis opened the scoring in the second with an RBI single, but it was Texas defensive miscues – a common theme of the second and third inning – that preceded Pettis’ at-bat that set the tone for the night. 

Anthony Mackenzie opened the frame with a strikeout but reached base when Texas catcher Rylan Galvan was unable to hold onto the ball. Jackson Nicklaus grounded a tailor made double play ball to second and it was bobbled by Dee Kennedy. Scott Mudler followed the Pettis RBI single with a fly ball to centerfield and it was dropped by Jared Thomas, allowing Nicklaus to trot home from third. John Spikerman tacked on an RBI ground out before the side was retired but the damage had been done. 

The very next inning, Oklahoma was gifted more free baserunners. Easton Carmichael reached on a throwing error by third baseman Peyton Powell. Mackenzie hit a ball to the right side of the infield that couldn’t be corralled by first baseman Casey Borba. Five errors in total in the second and third innings and it was Pettis — yet again — who delivered with his second RBI single in as many innings. 

“Friday’s always the biggest game, but getting the Friday win out of the way is always big for the rest of the weekend,” said Pettis, who entered this weekend in a slump at the plate, hitting .200 in conference play. 

“They kept booting the ball and that was really big for us. It kept giving us opportunities at the plate and a couple of us came up to the plate and got the job done when they messed up,” said Pettis. 

IMPORTANT START TO THE WEEKEND

Wacky. But needed in a series of this magnitude. In a conference title race that they maintain a three game lead on the rest of the pack. Taking advantage of free outs and most importantly delivering when those opportunities arise, particularly for Pettis who finished the night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

“I know I’ve been having my struggles at the plate just throughout the year and I never stopped grinding. I’m always in the cage swinging. Just trying to tweak some things and figure some things out. Just making sure I have a good mental (approach). It’s baseball. You’re going to have your ups and downs but just making sure I’m keeping the main thing the main thing,” said Pettis. 

DAVIS DELIVERS ANOTHER GREAT FRIDAY OUTING

It’s been building over the last few weeks. Skip Johnson is getting excellent pitching from starter Braden Davis. It’s largely flown under the radar because of the Sooners offense, but Friday night’s opener was no different. 

“I think just probably my mentality on the mound. Telling myself that I’m better than I think I am,” said Davis with a smile after scattering seven hits over six innings, allowing just a run and striking out nine. “Just keeping the same mentality pitch by pitch. Not letting a single affect me and staying on that mentality that one (hit) isn’t going to hurt me.” 

There was plenty of traffic on a night in which Texas outhit Oklahoma 12-10 but each time Davis left unscathed with the exclamation of the evening coming in his final frame, the sixth. After allowing a leadoff single to Kimble Schuessler, Davis responded with three consecutive punchouts to close the door and turn the game over to the Sooners bullpen. 

“That was huge,” said Davis. “Just trying to keep the momentum with us. It’s always hard to work around a leadoff baserunner, but like I said, keeping that same mentality throwing strikes and executing pitches got me out of it.” 

BULLPEN DID ITS JOB

Carter Campbell, Carson Atwood, Jett Lodes and Malachi Witherspoon combined for the final three frames. Oklahoma’s pitching staff combined to strike out 13 batters on Friday night, while Texas stranded 11 runners on base.  

“It was really good. I thought BD was outstanding. In this environment that’s what can happen,” Johnson said. “Things get rushed a little bit. I think the biggest thing for us was getting some runs early, it kind of opened him up a little bit. His execution was excellent tonight. 

“Keeping those guys off balance a little bit and I thought he was really good.” 

SOONERS ANSWERED EVERY TEXAS RALLY

Just two pitches after Davis escaped the sixth, Jaxon Willits hammered a 1-0 pitch that landed halfway up the batter’s eye in centerfield. 

Texas staged a rally in the seventh cutting the lead to 5-2 with an RBI single. But reliever Carson Atwood needed just two pitches leaving the bases loaded with a fly ball to right.

Anthony Mackenzie’s solo home run began the home half of the seventh, followed by another Willits RBI knock and a John Spikerman fielder’s choice that scored Mudler. Willits went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Everytime Texas pressed to get back in the game, Oklahoma answered with a knockout punch in what the Sooners faithful hopes to be a tone setter for the weekend.