Oklahoma baseball came into Sunday prepared to play quite arguably their most important game of the season to this point against bitter rival No. 9/10 Texas.
After the Longhorns took each of the first two games of the three-game weekend set, it felt paramount the Sooners find a way to salvage the series and get their first Big 12 victory of the year before several more difficult games ahead. Skip Johnson’s club came through with exactly what the doctor ordered finding a way to outlast Texas 3-2.
On a day where his team desperately needed him to come through with a good outing, Oklahoma left-hander Braden Carmichael did that and then some. The redshirt sophomore threw seven dynamite innings only allowing one run and four hits. He has absolutely solidified himself as a weekend starter moving forward.
The Sooners got themselves an early 2-0 lead for the third consecutive day plating a couple of runs in the third inning on a sacrifice fly from second baseman Conor McKenna and catcher Jimmy Crooks scampering across on a wild pitch. Longhorns second baseman Mitchell Daly picked up an RBI single in the fourth inning to cut that lead in half. It would be the only run given up by Carmichael.
The score would remain 2-1 all the way into the eighth inning when reliever Carson Carter came in to replace Carmichael. Normally reliable, Carter would be a little shaky walking a batter and hitting another. He exited with runners on first and second and one out.
Preseason All-American closer Jason Ruffcorn would then enter the game and try and keep his team in front. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, he would be unsuccessful hitting a batter of his own and then allowing the tying run in on an infield single. He would manage to pick up a huge strikeout with the bases loaded to keep the game tied moving to the ninth.
The Sooners’ hopes for a late lead looked bleak with two outs and nobody on, but the team would rally with three consecutive two-out hits to take a 3-2 advantage. McKenna’s knock, off the glove of Texas third baseman Cam Williams, would be enough to bring Crooks all the way around from second.
In the bottom of the ninth, after a leadoff walk, Ruffcorn would turn a mammoth double play before getting a strikeout to end the game. The win moves Oklahoma to 13-10 on the season and gives them their first conference win of the season.
The win over Arkansas in Fayetteville is probably still the best win of the year to this point for the Sooners, but this one isn’t far behind. After dropping the first two, and three straight, this was a must-have. Especially considering the treacherous waters ahead on the schedule just in the next week alone.
Oklahoma will have the day away from game action tomorrow before heading to Stillwater for the first of five Bedlam games on the year against Oklahoma State on Tuesday.