NORMAN, Okla. — Levi Prater roared.
He slapped his glove and fist pumped a couple times.
“He’s going to go out and give you effort,” said head coach Skip Johnson on Friday night after Oklahoma lost the opening game of the San Diego State series 5-4. “It’s not about winning or losing, you know that he’s going to give you what he’s got everyday. That’s what is good about having him in the two slot. He’s going to give you everything he’s got—that’s what’s huge.”
Prater gave Johnson exactly what his head coach knew he would in the Sooners 8-4 series-tying win against San Diego State on Saturday.
The Aztecs tagged the left-hander for five hits in two innings and change of the game, ambushing first-pitch and 1-1 fastballs with standout San Diego State third baseman Casey Schmitt lacing a triple to right-center field. After Schmitt’s triple, Prater went to work.
The junior southpaw got 15 of the final 16 hitters out, all of which came after the triple. Prater didn’t allow a single hit, walking only one and striking out 10 in the span. He finished with seven innings pitched, allowing five hits, one run, two walks and struck out 13 total hitters.
“Really impressive,” Johnson said after the win. “He didn’t have his command with his changeup like he did last week or the week before that, but he had command with his breaking ball and had command with his fastball and that really got him over the hump in the game more so than anything.”
Help came for Prater the way of a freshman.
Peyton Graham has been the everyday third baseman to start his Oklahoma career. He hit his first career home run with a towering shot off the train tracks in left field at Minute Maid Park last weekend. Graham went 2-for-5 in the series opening loss on Friday, then added on to the start in the Sooners game two win with the first two runs of the game.
Both came from two solo home runs. On the week, the freshman is 8-for-15 with two doubles and two home runs in four games.
Oklahoma had a big fifth-inning, knocking in three runs on a pair of singles. Then in the sixth, catcher Justin Mitchell put the icing on the cake of the Sooners win.
The junior came into Saturday batting. 364 and slugging .576. Mitchell was brushed off the plate with the first pitch up-and-in. The next pitch ended up behind the outfield berm in left, his bat flipped towards the San Diego State and a slow jog around the bases as Oklahoma took a 6-1 lead.
Mitchell and Aztec third baseman Casey Schmitt had words as he jogged around third, and then Oklahoma’s catcher was met at home with some pleasantries by home plate umpire Christopher Griffith. Both dugouts had been warned earlier in the game.
A highly-anticipated rubber match to determine the winner of the series is set for Sunday. Oklahoma will be going with Dane Acker, who is coming off a no-hitter against LSU, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
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