OU baseball clinches another Big 12 series

LUBBOCK, Texas — No. 22 Oklahoma took the series over Texas Tech with a 7-5 win Saturday afternoon in Lubbock.

With the win, Oklahoma (28-17, 17-6) clinched its fifth conference series of the season and second straight series victory in Lubbock over Tech (30-19, 12-14).

OU, already having secured a spot in the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, is now in first place by two games in the conference standings heading into Sunday. The teams meet for the series finale at 2 p.m. CT Sunday.

OU collected its 17th win in Big 12 play Saturday, matching the most wins in conference play since 2009.

A complete team win powered OU to the series W, with the offense putting up seven runs on 11 hits, including two home runs. The pitching staff of starter Kyson Witherspoon and relievers Carter Campbell, Dylan Crooks and Malachi Witherspoon allowed a powerful Tech offense just five runs on seven hits, with all five runs coming in the final four innings.

OU jumped out to another early lead, scoring a pair at the top of the first. After a double from senior Bryce Madron, sophomore Easton Carmichael brought him in on an RBI single down the left line. Two batters later, senior Anthony Mackenzie singled in Carmichael for a two-run lead before the Red Raiders stepped to the plate.

OU starting RHP Kyson Witherspoon settled in and worked five scoreless innings to start, a day after junior Braden Davis and senior Will Carsten combined to shut out the Red Raiders for OU’s fourth shutout of the season.

The Sooners provided plenty of insurance at the top of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits. A leadoff home run from Madron, his team-leading 10th of the season, started the offensive explosion. After a Carmichael single, stolen base and HBP drawn by senior Michael Snyder, Mackenzie ripped his sixth home run of the season out to right on a three-run shot.

Tech scored its first run of the series in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run after the Sooner arms had held the Red Raiders scoreless for 14 innings.

Witherspoon exited in the seventh with a final line of: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB and 7 K. It was the righty’s fifth appearance on the year with seven-plus strikeouts.

Relievers Carter Campbell and Dylan Crooks combined to finish the seventh, allowing the Red Raiders to push a pair across on a two-run single. Crooks induced a groundout to get out of the jam, stranding a pair.

The Sooners got one back at the top of the eighth again off the bat of Madron. After a HBP drawn by fellow senior Kendall Pettis and walk to junior John Spikerman, Madron dropped an RBI single into right field to score Pettis. A play at the plate ended the OU threat with runners on the corners, as Spikerman was ruled out at the plate after review on a double-steal attempt.

Tech pulled within two in the bottom of the ninth on a two-run home run, but sophomore closer Malachi Witherspoon shook back with a strikeout looking to secure the OU win and series victory.

Madron led OU at the plate with his seventh game of the season with three hits, going 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Mackenzie brought in four runs in a 2-for-5, one home run showing. Seven Sooners recorded a base hit in the game.

Longhorms hand Cowboys 6-3 loss

AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma State dropped its series with Texas Saturday as the 14th ranked Cowboys suffered a 6-3 setback at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

With the loss, OSU fell to 31-16 overall and 14-9 in Big 12 play, while the Longhorns improved to 30-18 and 15-8 in the league.

Carson Benge had two of OSU’s five hits in the contest, while Zach Ehrhard, Nolan Schubart and Lane Forsythe picked up RBIs for the Pokes.

Gabe Davis took the loss for OSU out of the bullpen to fall to 1-3 on the season as he gave up a two-run home run to Max Belyeu in the eighth inning that proved to be the difference.

OSU starter Brian Holiday worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, two of those earned, on just three hits and striking out six.

UT took an early lead in its first at bat as an error and a walk led to a two-RBI double from Belyeu to put the Horns up 2-0 after one inning.

After the opening inning, Holiday settled in and became locked in a pitcher’s duel with UT’s Ace Whitehead as both pitchers posted zeroes from the second through fourth innings.

In the fifth, OSU would finally get on the board. Back-to-back walks to Forsythe and Tyler Wulfert led off the inning, and a single by Benge with one out loaded the bases. The Cowboys then plated a run when Ehrhard was hit by a pitch to make the score 2-1.

The Cowboys tied the score in the seventh. Benge got things started with a single, and two batters later, Schubart smashed an RBI double off the top of the wall in right-center field to make the score 2-2.

UT answered to go back on top in the bottom of the frame. After retiring 13 batters in a row, Holiday issued a leadoff walk in the seventh, which was followed by a single to put Horns on the corners. Up next, Holiday would get Rylan Galvan to ground into a double play, which brought home the go-ahead run.

This time it was the Cowboys answering. Colin Brueggemann led off the eighth with a double to left field, and a balk moved pinch runner Addison Smith to third. Two batters later, Smith raced home with the tying run on a slow ground ball off the bat of Forsythe to make the score 3-3.

In the bottom of the eighth, Davis retired the first two UT batters before Peyton Powell singled to bring up Belyeu, who delivered his 17th homer of the season to right-center field.

The two teams conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m.