Over the weekend in Oklahoma baseball, the 25-21 Oklahoma Sooners (9-10 in Big 12 play) traveled to West Virginia to do battle with the 12th ranked, 35-11 Mountaineers (12-4 in the Big 12 play). Unfortunately, the three-game series did not go the Sooners way, dropping two out of three games (strangely enough, with identical final scores in two of the games)
Join me as we walk out to the mound, to examine exactly what happened to result in the West Virginia series loss, OU’s fourth Big 12 series loss of the season.
Friday, May 5, 5:30 PM
West Virginia 9, Oklahoma 3
It seems as though Braxton Douthit has found himself in a slump of late, for after a rough outing against the Kansas Jayhawks last weekend, he took the mound for the Sooners Friday evening with, unfortunately, very similar results.
Douthit. a graduate transfer from Lamar University, threw 93 pitches in the space of only 4.0 innings, and it must be stated that most of the damage that was done Friday evening was on his watch. Douthit allowed seven earned runs on seven hits, walked five and only struck out three. So right off the bat (no pun intended) the Sooners found themselves having to dig out of a seven-run hole early in the game.
Relievers Jett Lodes, Kale Davis and Carson Turnquist followed Douthit to the mound, Lodes and Davis both gave up one run on one hit and combined for two walks and five strikeouts.
Aaron Calhoun pitched a full inning to close out the game for OU, but by this time the damage had long been done.
The Sooners’ pitching staff allowed nine runs on nine hits, walked nine and struck out eight. Douthit took the loss, dropping his record to 4-4.
Saturday, May 6, 3:00 PM
Oklahoma 6, West Virginia 3
Left-handed starter Braden Carmichael took the mound for the Sooners on Saturday, and while he would give up all three of the Mountaineers runs, he would still achieve a quality start and pitch a pretty solid game. He threw exactly 100 pitches, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking only one and striking out six. Carmichael, who has been the Sooners most consistent starter of late, lasted 6.2 innings, before being relieved by Will Carsten (who earned himself his third save of the season)
Carsten was in the game for 2.2 innings, allowing only two hits and ZERO runs, walking none and striking out none, and helping to secure the Sooners’ 6-3 victory, the only victory they would come away with in West Virginia.
Collectively, Carmichael and Carsten gave up three runs on nine hits, while only walking one and striking out six.
Carsten earned the save bringing his total to three on the season, and Carmichael was awarded the win, bringing his record to 5-0 on the season (the best record for a Sooners starting pitcher in 2023).
Sunday, May 7, 10:00 AM.Carson Pierce
West Virginia 9, Oklahoma 3
Junior Carter Campbell took the mound for the Sooners in the series finale on Sunday, his first start of the season. Perhaps it was just too early in the morning for Campbell (the game was moved up to an 11 a.m. start because of inclement weather). About the only positive that can be reported about his outing is that it was short lived.
Campbell would only last 1.2 innings, and it would only take 37 pitches to allow five runs on three hits, while walking one, striking out none and hitting two batters with pitches.
Carson Atwood and James Hitt came on in relief of Campbell after he was removed from the game after less then two innings of work. The two relievers would combine for the remaining four runs on six hits, walking only one and striking out six.
Carson Pierce came on in the eighth in to finish off the game for the Sooners, but as was the case on Friday evening, the damage was long done. Pierce would faced only three batters and used 14 pitches, resulting in a fly out, a ground out and a strikeout, a perfect one-two-three inning.
The Sooners pitching staff allowed nine runs on nine hits on Sunday, the same number of hits recorded in all three games by the Mountaineers. The four OU pitchers on Sunday walked two, struck out eight, and Campbell would take the loss, dropping his record to 5-4 on the season.
Next up the Sooners head to the state of Washington, for a rare late-season nonconference with Gonzaga.
Oklahoma’s final big 12 matchup of the regular season will be at L. Dale Mitchell Park the weekend after next, an end to the regular season Bedlam battle against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.