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Oklahoma Notches 15th Win in Appetizer Midweek Matchup Before SEC Play

Seven stolen bases and RBIs abound in a dominant Sooner win.
Brady Trantham|
Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson
Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The winds came sweeping down the plain in furious gusts.

So did the No. 9-ranked Oklahoma Sooners and their aggressive base running, who won 6-1 in their midweek duel with UT-Arlington. OU stole seven bases en route to a solid performance.

But it took a while for the Sooners (15-2) to get going on the board. UT-Arlington (5-11) opened the game with two hits against the right-handed starter Michael Catalano (4 strikeouts, 39 total pitches 9.35 ERA), earning a 1-0 lead after two ground outs advanced runners.

The Sooners would get runners on all bases as a retort, but no points to show for it.

With two outs in the second inning, Jason Walk (2 hits, 3 runs, 3 stolen bases) followed his surname to earn first base. A Brenden Brock (3 hits, 3 RBIs) double into left field advanced the speedy Walk to third.

That speed paid off as Walk stole home, tying the game at 1-1.

Isaac Williams would come on to relieve Catalano to hold the Mavericks with one run heading into the bottom of the fourth inning.

Once Oklahoma came back to the plate, the top two in the lineup were retired quickly. Walk continued his superb day with a single to give the Sooners life — he would also continue his theft streak by stealing second, a theme for this inning.

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Brock earned his first RBI when he singled into center field, scoring Walk. He would join the fun by stealing second shortly after. Camden Johnson mirrored Brock with an RBI-single to extend Oklahoma's lead to 3-1.

Big 6-7 Mason Bixby came on in the fifth and quickly retired the Mavericks with three consecutive strikeouts. If UT-Arlington was going to mount any type of comeback, Bixby denied them with five strikeouts, no hits and 26 total pitches.

Brock saw red when he smashed a ball into deep center, scoring Walk and Kyle Branch to bring the lead to 5-1.

It was Brock again in the sixth when he doubled into left field, earning two more RBIs to add to his collection. Deiten LaChance helped the cause when he hit a right field single, bringing Brock home, extending the lead to 6-1.

Righty closer Xander Mercurius came in to preserve the win in quick 1-2-3 fashion.

Oklahoma will open up Southeastern Conference play on Friday when they play host to the visiting No. 22-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The three-game series will have an opening pitch at 6:30 at Kimrey Family Stadium, game two will be Saturday at 4 p.m., and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

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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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