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Oklahoma Denies DBU a Win Once Again Behind Michael Catalano's Pitching, Improved Bats

A third inning explosion at the plate helped the Sooners find victory on the road against the Patriots.
Brady Trantham|
Oklahoma pitcher Michael Catalano
Oklahoma pitcher Michael Catalano | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Following a frustrating weekend where Oklahoma blew chance after chance against Alabama, the Sooners had a unique midweek game two days later on Monday against Dallas Baptist.

It may have been a good thing that OU got back on the diamond so quickly. After struggling at the plate on Saturday, Oklahoma exploded on the road against the Patriots, winning 9-3 thanks to 13 hits, doubles and home runs.

Michael Catalano (3-2) got the start at the mound against Dallas Baptist. One of his three wins came earlier in the season against Patriots in the 2-0 win in Norman on March 3. Coming off a great performance last week where he pitched five shut out innings against Oral Roberts, Catalano gave the Sooners reason to think they could sweep DBU in 2026.

Catalano finished with five strikeouts.

Oklahoma Sooners Michael Catalano
Oklahoma pitcher Michael Catalano | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma (22-10) got rolling early in the first when Trey Gambill crushed a double off the wall with two outs — something Skip Johnson mentioned following Saturday's loss against Alabama. Brenden Brock responded with an RBI single to put the Sooners on the board.

DBU hit three consecutive singles, but quick Sooner fielding put doubt in Patriot base runners. With bases loaded in the bottom of the first and one out, Catalano's pitch led to a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning — OU's 27th of the season.

Catalano struck out two back-to-back batters and retired the third to end the second. From there pitched four more scoreless innings, only surrendering only one hit.

Jaxon Willits continued OU's resurgence at the plate with a double that led to a triple thanks to a fielding error. Gambill grounded out to second base, but scored Willits to increase the OU lead at 2-0.

Brenden Brock looked like the player from earlier in the season when he followed up Gambill's sacrifice RBI with a home run, his eighth of the year.

Nolan Stevens liked Brock's homer so much, that he followed suit with a home run of his own. The 4-0 score forced Dallas Baptist to make a pitching change.

Oklahoma wasn't done in the third. With Deiten LaChance and Dayton Tockey at third and second thanks to a single and a double, Drew Dickerson's two-run RBI increased the lead to 6-0.

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In the fifth, OU had two runners on in scoring position. Jason Walk, hitting a team-low .241 on the season among the starters, doubled into center field to score LaChance and Dickerson. Again, the Patriots made a change at the mound.

Willits was able to hit a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 9-0. Camden Johnson's aggression got the best of him during the sequence by getting tagged out at second to end the inning.

Isaac Williams came on in the bottom of the seventh to relieve Catalano. His day was less memorable when he walked two batters and allowed a three-run home run with one out. Williams was able to pitch his way out of the sequence, with OU up 9-3.

Mason Bixby relieved Williams to close out the game and secure the win.

Oklahoma will remain on the road for a weekend duel with Vanderbilt. The first game will be Thursday at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday games will begin at 6 and 1 p.m. respectively.

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Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

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