After losing the first game of the final Big 12 Bedlam series on Friday night, OU looked to respond on Saturday afternoon and the Sooners did just that.
Leading the charge for OU on the hill was righty Kyson Witherspoon, who entered this one with a 1.41 ERA on the season and a 2-2 record.
The Oklahoma bats finished the game strong on Friday night and quickly carried that over into Saturday. Both teams were unable to put runs on the board in the first, but the fireworks quickly began in the second.
It was Anthony Mackenzie who started the scoring frenzy for OU, sending a solo shot into deep right to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead in the second. Next at the plate was Michael Snyder, who sent one roaring into left field giving Oklahoma back-to-back homers and a 2-0 lead. The bats were not done yet, with Jackson Nicklaus finding his way to home plate after a double. OU led 3-0 entering the bottom of two.
Oklahoma State's bats were busy in the second as well, with Avery Ortiz delivering a two-run shot to cut the lead to 3-2 and Zach Ehrhard's RBI single to tie it up. As if that was not bad enough, the Cowboys were able to put yet another run in with two outs as a wild pitch put Oklahoma state up 4-3 after two.
The fiery bats stayed on par, with Bryce Madron launching a solo shot into right field to start the third. With the game tied at 4s, Kendall Pettis was able to hit yet another RBI which gave OU a 5-4 lead. Spoiler alert, they were not done yet. Scott Mudler sent a nuke into right field for a three-run shot, which marked the eight homer for OU already this weekend.Sooners led 8-4 going into the bottom of the third.
After forcing two outs and allowing no runs in the inning, Cowboys Avery Ortiz hit his second home run of the day to cut the lead down to 8-6 after three.
If you were hoping for a low scoring game, this was not the one for you. The offense continued to keep their rhythm going in the fourth, with Bryce Madron and Anthony Mackenzie hitting doubles to give OU a 9-6 lead. With OSU having two outs on the board, Jackson Nicklaus was able to send a runner in off an RBI single into right. After a successful challenge by Skip Johnson, Scott Mudler gave the Sooners yet another three-run boost after he sent the ball into deep left that resulted in a single. OU led 13-6 halfway through four. Oklahoma's two out defensive curse would continue as Zach Ehrard hit a solo homer to make it 13-7. Oklahoma would make a change on the mound and righty Carter Campbell closed the inning in the fourth, helping OU escape at 13-7.
OU was unable to keep their momentum in the fifth, with Oklahoma State leaving the inning unscathed. Campbell made quick work of the OSU lineup in an impressive one-two-three inning, helping OU maintain their 13-7 lead going into six.
After an anomaly fifth inning where neither team got it going on offense, OU reignited the home run derby in the sixth. Jaxon Willits launched a three-run homer into right, which gave him his third homer of the weekend and Oklahoma a 16-7 lead. OSU was able to get some offense going as they cut the lead to 16-9 after six.
The derby continued in the seventh, with it being Jackson Nicklaus' turn to launch one into right. His two-run homer gave OU a 18-9 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. Despite the big hole, OSU bats were not willing to quit. After putting one run in and making it 18-10, the Cowboys had the bases loaded with two outs. OU would take Campbell off the mound and put Reid Hensley in, who was able to come up clutch and get out of the inning with a 18-10 lead.
Thanks to a 90-minute weather delay, this one went much longer than expected. Oklahoma would end up escaping Saturday with an impressive 19-10 win and tie the series at 1-1.