Behind a strong pitching performance by the duo of Braxton Douthit and Carter Campbell, the Oklahoma baseball team claimed its series opener at No. 14 Texas 2-1 Friday night at Disch-Falk Field.
Douthit notched two strikeouts and scattered four hits over his 6.0 innings before Campbell (5-3) came in and allowed nothing more than two hits over the final three frames. The Sooners (20-19, 5-8 Big 12) tied the game in the fifth inning and took the lead in the eighth. The Longhorns (27-13, 8-5 Big 12) scored their only run in the second inning.
Catcher Diego Muniz went 2 for 4 and scored the tying run on freshman designated hitter Caden Powell's double in the fifth inning. First baseman Anthony Mackenzie scored the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth on a walk by second baseman Jackson Nicklaus.
"The defense was good, and Braxton made pitches when he had to," Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. "He probably didn't have his 'A' game, but he had his 'B' and 'C' game, made pitches when he had to and got some ground balls. The defense was outstanding. We got a big hit by Caden Powell, and separated balls from strikes and had quality at bats. That was really big."
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a pair of singles and two walks, including a walk by shortstop Mitchell Daly to bring in the run. Douthit struck out the next batter and ended the inning on a fly out to Kendall Pettis in left field.
Oklahoma tied the game in the fifth inning on Powell's RBI double. The Clinton, Okla., product hit a laser to the left center alley to bring in Muniz all the way from first base. In the top of the eighth, Mackenzie singled, right fielder Bryce Madron was hit by a pitch and center fielder John Spikerman and Nicklaus walked to put the Sooners in front.
Pettis registered OU's first hit of the game on a lined single into center field in the top of the fourth inning. After a one-out triple by Texas first baseman Jared Thomas and a walk in the bottom of the fourth, Douthit induced a double-play grounder to Nicklaus at second base to end the inning. Shortstop Dakota Harris fielded a grounder that bounced off the mound and right to him near the second base bag and turned a twofer himself in the sixth inning.
Campbell allowed leadoff singles in the eighth and ninth innings but retired the following three batters in both frames. He stranded the runner on third in the eighth with a fly out to Madron in right, and coaxed a pop up to Pettis with the runner on second to end the game.
Oklahoma recorded seven hits, including a single by Harris in the sixth and one by Nicklaus in the seventh inning. OU threatened in the seventh after Nicklaus and Muniz led off with base hits but could not break the tie until the eighth inning. Texas reliever David Shaw (2-2) took the loss. Neither team committed an error in the game.
The Sooners and Longhorns continue the series at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
