OU Baseball: Oklahoma Falls in Inaugural Game With Kentucky

Oklahoma and Texas have never faced off in the sport of baseball.

Welcome to the new SEC.

The Sooners and Wildcats staged a couple of one-point classics this year in men’s basketball. In football, Bud Wilkinson and Bear Bryant squared off in a Sugar Bowl.

But Friday’s meeting at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington was their first on the diamond — and it was a good one.

OU had the winning run on base in the top of the ninth with their best hitter at the plate, but the Kentucky held on for a 4-3 victory.

No. 16 Oklahoma fell to 32-15 overall and 13-12 in SEC play, while Kentucky improved to 26-20 and 11-14.

OU jumped on UK in the third inning when Easton Carmichael blasted a two-run home run to put the Sooners up 2-0. It was his team-leading 13th of the year. He’s tied for sixth among SEC sluggers.

But in the night’s biggest shocker, the Wildcats roughed up OU ace Kyson Witherspoon (9-3). 

In the bottom of the fourth, the first four Kentucky batters actually hit for the cycle against Witherspoon: Tyler Bell led off with a triple to the gap in right-center field, Luke Lawrence sent him home with a double to left, and Cole Hage mashed a two-run home run to right center to make it 3-2. 

Carson Hansen then followed that up with a single through the left side. After a groundout and a hit batter, Hansen then came home on James McCoy’s single to put the Cats up 4-2.

OU got a run back in the fifth when Carmichael delivered a two-out single up the middle. He took third on a wild pitch, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Kyle Branch’s RBI single to left to cut it to 4-3.

Oklahoma bats went quiet ofter that until making some noise in the ninth.

The Sooners put the leadoff man on to start the final inning when 9-hole hitter Dasan Harris drew a walk. He went to second on Walk’s groundout, and Trey Gambill drew a walk to put runners at first and second.

Kentucky closer Simon Gregerten struck out Carmichael for the second out, then got Jaxon Willits to swing at strike three to end it.

Witherspoon finished five innings but gave up four earned runs on six hits — three extra bases — and two walks. He struck out four but also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. Jamie Hitt (one inning of relief) and Jason Bodin (two innings) each allowed a hit, but each also recorded a strikeout and did not give up a run.

Carmichael finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs. Gambill also had two hits for Oklahoma.

The Sooners and Wildcats resume their three-game series on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CT, and the finale goes off at noon. 

It’s OU’s penultimate series of the regular season. Next week, the Sooners host No. 1-ranked Texas at L Dale Mitchell Park before embarking on the postseason, where Skip Johnson’s squad hopes to host a regional for the second year in a row.