Sooners take home-opening series from Wright State

NORMAN — The Oklahoma Sooners baseball team took three of four games from Wright State in its homeopening series last weekend at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The Sooners took the first three games — 20-0 on Friday and 14-9 and 10-3 on Saturday — before losing the series finale 12-2 on Sunday.

In Game 1, the 2,107 fans on home-opening day marked the highest recorded home-opening attendance at L. Dale Mitchell as far back as 2000.

The offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the contest, putting up runs in seven of the eight innings the team went to the plate. The Sooners (5-3) notched season highs in runs (20) and hits (21), while the pitching staff recorded its first shutout of the season and struck out 15 batters to just four walks. The staff has recorded double-digit strikeouts in all five games of the early season and the 15 Friday night tied a seasonbest, previously done against Tennessee on Feb. 17.

Starting pitcher Braden Davis was electric in his second start of the season. The lefty transfer hurled six scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits and one walk to accompany a career-high eight strikeouts.

OU took two games of a doubleheader Saturday as the offensive explosion on homeopening weekend continued as the Sooners 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.

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

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.

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

Starting pitcher RHP Kyson Witherspoon 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.

In Sunday’s finale, the Sooners surrendered the most runs in a game this season.

Wright State jumped out to a 6-0 lead before OU showed life in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs off an error and RBI single from Snyder.

Taking the loss for OU was senior LHP James Hitt (0-1), surrendering six runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Five other Sooner arms saw action with junior righties Dylan Crooks and Ryan Lambert each fanning one.

OU will return to action in Las Vegas this weekend for the inaugural Las Vegas College Baseball Classic. The Sooners will match up against Pittsburgh, California and Ohio State.