Offense stays hot as OU takes 2

Offense stays hot as OU takes 2

NORMAN — Oklahoma baseball took two games of a doubleheader Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park, beating Wright State by scores of 14-9 and 10-3. 

The offensive explosion on home-opening weekend continued as the Sooners (5-2) scored a combined 24 runs on 25 hits Saturday. The OU pitching staff collected 18 strikeouts on the day, allowing 12 runs on 17 hits.

“I thought all in all that the team came out with a sense of urgency, I thought the offense was outstanding,” said head coach Skip Johnson. “It was a tough day to pitch, wind’s blowing out about 20 (mph), you just have to give up solos and know you can’t give up multiple runs.”

In Game 1, the Sooners scored in each of the first five innings, including a seven-run second frame.

At the top of the first, junior John Spikerman launched his first home run of the season on a deep shot to right field that cleared the berm beyond the RF fence. It was the centerfielder’s sixth home run of his career and first of 2024.

The second inning saw runs batted in from five different Sooners, with Spikerman, junior Carter Frederick, sophomore Easton Carmichael, redshirt senior Michael Snyder and senior Anthony Mackenzie all plating runs. Carmichael pushed his third run across in the third for OU’s only run of the frame.

Wright State (1-5) fought back with four runs in the fourth before Oklahoma got two back in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of Frederick and Spikerman RBI doubles.

The Sooners pushed three more across in the fifth off the bats of Mackenzie, Spikerman and redshirt senior Kendall Pettis. WSU scored pairs of runs in each the sixth and seventh for the final runs of the game to bring the final to 14-9, Oklahoma.

On the mound, junior LHP Jace Miner (1-1) earned his first win of the season, going two innings and striking out a trio. Starter RHP Brendan Girton went 3.2 and surrendered one earned run (5 R) on six hits and two walks to go with two strikeouts. Seniors Carson Atwood and Grant Stevens, and sophomore Malachi Witherspoon all saw action in the contest as relievers.

Turning around for the second game of the doubleheader, the Sooners continued to thrive, with runs in six of the eight innings the team went to the plate.

Five Sooners collected RBIs in the contest, paced by Pettis’ and Snyder’s three a piece with Carmichael, Mackenzie and junior Scott Mudler accounting for the other OU runs.

Pettis homered for the first time this season and the eighth time of his career in the fourth inning. Equally as impressive in left field was the redshirt senior, making a spectacular diving catch in the third inning.

Snyder put an exclamation point on the double-win day for the Sooners in the sixth, hitting his second homer of the season and 20th of his career.

The Raiders scored solo runs in the third, sixth and seventh innings.

Starting pitcher RHP Kyson Witherspoon (1-0) earned his first win as a Sooner, going five innings and striking out three while surrendering two earned runs and three walks. Junior righty Reid Hensley and redshirt senior Carter Campbell pitched well in relief, with two and four strikeouts, respectively.

The teams close the four-game series Sunday with a 2 p.m. CT first pitch at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard locally on SportsTalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM or nationwide on The Varsity app.

Single game tickets and mini-plan options are available via SoonerSports.com/tickets.

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