OU Falls in Series Finale at West Virginia

Sunday, May 7

Morgantown, W.Va.

10 a.m. CT

University of Oklahoma

26-22, 10-11

West Virginia

36-12, 13-5

Oklahoma

West Virginia

OU Falls in Series Finale at West Virginia

May 07, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Bryce Madron went 3 for 3 with a single, a double and a triple, but the Oklahoma baseball team fell at No. 12 West Virginia 9-3 Sunday in a rain-delayed series finale at Monongalia County Ballpark.

The contest, which was moved up on Saturday to an 11 a.m. ET start to avoid potential inclement weather, went into a rain delay in the bottom of the third inning with the Mountaineers leading 6-0. Play resumed after a three-and-a-half-hour delay around 3:40 p.m. ET. The Sooners scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 7-3. WVU, however, added two runs in the seventh and kept OU from scoring again.

Madron doubled in the first inning, walked in the third, singled in the fifth and tripled off the top of the right field wall in the seventh, nearly homering for the third straight game. He went 7 for 11 with five extra base hits in the series. His fifth-inning single led to Anthony Mackenzie scoring on an error in the outfield. Dakota Harris and Kendall Pettis followed with consecutive RBI singles to bring Oklahoma (26-22, 10-11 Big 12) within 7-3.

West Virginia (36-12, 13-5 Big 12) scored a run in the first inning on a J.J. Wetherholt home run and plated four runs in the second on a three-run double by Logan Sauve and a double by Tevin Tucker. WVU scored another run in the third on a double by Grant Hussey before the falling rain rendered the dirt mound unplayable and play was halted. Sauve homered in the fourth inning, Hussey hit an RBI single in the seventh and Dayne Leonard scored on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

John Spikerman once again registered a pair of incredible catches in center field for the Sooners. He leapt above the wall and brought back a potential home run in the fifth inning – the second home run robbery by an OU outfielder in as many weekends (Kendall Pettis on April 29 against Kansas). In the seventh, he made a running, over-the-shoulder catch in deep right center and doubled the runner off first base to end the inning.

Carter Campbell (5-4) was tabbed Sunday morning to make his first career start with the rain expected to arrive early in the game. Carson Atwood entered in the third inning and pitched 1.1 frames, and planned Sunday starter James Hitt threw 4.0 innings in relief, notching five strikeouts. Carson Pierce retired the side in order in the eighth with one strikeout. Noah Short (3-0) relieved WVU starter Robby Porco in the third inning and pitched 0.2 innings to earn the win.

Oklahoma has the midweek off before traveling west to Spokane, Wash., next weekend for a three-game non-conference series at Gonzaga. Game times are set for 8 p.m. CT Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. CT Sunday.