Sooners Top Bears in Big 12 Opener

Friday, March 25

Norman

6:30 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

13-7, 0

Baylor

11-10, 0

Baylor

Oklahoma

Photo by: Gerald Leong

March 25, 2022 | Baseball

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NORMAN – Jake Bennett was ace again, and Trent Brown and Max McGwire homered to lead the Oklahoma baseball team to a 5-3 victory over Baylor in the Big 12 conference opener Friday evening at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Brown hit his second home run of the year in the second inning and McGwire hit his first career homer in the third to tie the game at two apiece. Diego Muniz gave the Sooners (13-7, 1-0 Big 12) the lead with an RBI single in the third inning, and the Sooners tacked on two more runs in the seventh to make it 5-2.

The Bears (11-10, 1-3 Big 12) picked up a run in the top of the eighth and loaded the bases in the ninth, but Trevin Michael induced two fly outs to earn his fourth save of the season. Seven different Oklahoma batters registered a hit in the game.

Jake Bennett (2-0) struck out seven and allowed just one walk, six hits and three runs over 7.1 innings in his longest career start (previous long was 6.2 innings vs. LSU on March 4). After Baylor's second RBI single in the second inning, Bennett buckled down and retired 11 straight batters before a one-out single in the sixth inning. BU starter Tyler Thomas (3-3) took the loss.

"I really thought (Jake) took control of the game from the third inning on," Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. "I thought those were huge situations (adding the runs in the eighth inning). I credit the coaching staff for preparing them all week long on game situations. That's kind of our identity – we have to be able to move guys over. We had some really good at bats that inning. I was really proud of them in that situation."

Baylor took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on RBI singles by Alex Gonzales and Jake Pineda. The Sooners responded with Brown's missile of a home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the second and took the lead with two runs in the third. McGwire's first career homer was also a rocketed rope over the 385-sign in left center. Blake Robertson hit a two-out double and scored on the single by Muniz to make the score 3-2.

Oklahoma picked up two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning when Cade Horton walked and scored on a passed ball, and McGwire was hit by a pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Peyton Graham. The Bears made it 5-3 in the eighth on three singles, including an RBI hit by Casen Neumann.

The Sooners and Bears continue the series at 2 p.m. Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Saturday is "The Office" Day, and fans can receive a themed mug giveaway at the gate.