OU Sweeps Doubleheader, Wins Series at WVU

Saturday, May 8

Morgantown, W.Va.

2 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

23-22, 7-10

West Virginia

17-22, 7-13

Oklahoma

West Virginia

OU Sweeps Doubleheader, Wins Series at WVU

May 08, 2021 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Highlights Game 2 Highlights Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Braden Carmichael pitched 7.0 no-hit innings in the nightcap and Jimmy Crooks hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning of game one to lead the Oklahoma baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of West Virginia by scores of 8-7 (11 innings) and 9-1 Saturday at Monongalia County Ballpark.

Carmichael (6-1) registered a career-high 10 strikeouts and exited after one batter in the top of the eighth after throwing 124 pitches. The Sooners (24-22, 8-10 Big 12) carried the no-hitter into the ninth inning before it was broken up by a leadoff triple. OU scored early – plating three runs in the second inning – and often – adding three runs in the fifth, two runs in the sixth and one more in the eighth.

Crooks' 11th-inning homer broke a 6-6 tie in the first game after the Mountaineers (17-23, 7-14 Big 12) tied it with a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Jaret Godman (1-2) earned the win in relief and Luke Taggart retired the final three batters with the bases loaded to pick up his first save of the season.

"I thought we played with a sense of urgency, and we really fought through some things we hadn't fought through in a while there in the first game," Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. "We just kept playing the game and kept talking about finishing the game. Braden was really good. We swung the bats and got some timely hits when we needed to, to separate the game. We showed a sense of urgency and they were ready to play. I was really proud of (our players). It was a great thing to see for our team."

OU's offensive effort was spread over the lineup in both games. Eight different players recorded at least one hit and eight players notched at least one RBI on Saturday, though no player drove in more than two runs on the day.

Brandon Zaragoza played in his 240th and 241st career games on Saturday, breaking the Oklahoma record of 239 games played, previously held by Max White (2010-13).

Game 2: Oklahoma 9, West Virginia 1

Carmichael was outstanding in allowing no runs, no hits and just four walks over 7.0 innings in Saturday's nightcap. He retired 13 straight batters from the third through seventh innings and exited the game after an error to begin the eighth. Carson Carter relieved him for the final two frames, striking out three batters.

Conor McKenna, who tallied three hits and scored three runs on the day, hit a leadoff home run in the second inning. It was his ninth homer of the season. Breydon Daniel drove in Justin Mitchell with an RBI double and Kendall Pettis hit a sacrifice fly to give Oklahoma a 3-0 lead in the second inning.

The Sooners tacked on three runs in the fifth to make it a 6-0 lead. Graham hit an inside-the-park home run off the center field wall – his second homer of the day and ninth of the season. Three errors produced another run, as Crooks came home on an overthrow after Tyler Hardman stole second. Hardman then scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Zaragoza.

In the sixth inning, Pettis doubled and scored on a wild pitch, and McKenna singled home Graham to extend the lead to 8-0. Hardman singled home Pettis in the eighth inning to make it 9-0.

Dominic Ragazzo hit a leadoff triple in the ninth inning that fell just out of the reach of Daniel's glove. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Victor Scott. Carter recorded two strikeouts around the sacrifice fly to close out the game.

Game 1: Oklahoma 8, West Virginia 7 (11 innings)

Crooks' two-run opposite-field home run in the top of the 11th inning provided the difference in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader as Oklahoma evened the series against West Virginia.

Taggart came in with the bases loaded in the bottom half of the 11th and retired all three batters he faced on a sacrifice fly, a strikeout and a groundout, earning his first save of the season. Godman tossed a scoreless 10th inning and earned the win. Jason Ruffcorn turned in his longest career outing for the second straight week with 7.1 relief frames and seven strikeouts.

Graham led off the game with a home run to left field on the second pitch he saw. The Sooners trailed 4-1 after the first inning, but chipped away and took a 5-4 lead in the sixth on a base hit by Mitchell.

McKenna hit a one-out single in the fourth inning and moved around to score on a wild pitch, then Daniel hit an RBI single that scored Pettis and cut the deficit to 4-3. In the sixth, Jace Bohrofen hit a one-out double, went to third on an error and then scored on another miscue, before Mitchell knocked his RBI single to put the Sooners in front.

OU extended its lead to 6-4 in the eighth inning when Mitchell hit a sacrifice fly to the left field wall that was nearly a three-run home run.

The game was sent to extra innings on a leadoff home run in the ninth inning by WVU's Alec Burns. Austin Davis homered in the bottom of the eighth inning to cut OU's lead to 6-5. Burns also hit a two-run home run as part of West Virginia's four-run first inning.

It was Oklahoma's fifth extra-innings game in six Big 12 conference series this season (also against Texas, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State), and its first victory in such games.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will meet for the fifth time this season on Tuesday at ONEOK Field in Tulsa for a non-conference Bedlam matchup. Game time is set for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.