Oklahoma Rallies to Defeat Texas A&M in Bizarre SEC Opener

NORMAN — Oklahoma couldn’t have asked for a much weirder start to conference play.

Between both OU and Texas A&M’s aces having short outings, a sixth-inning ejection and a plethora of baserunners, Friday’s game was far from a conventional contest. Amid all the oddities, the Sooners won 8-7.

Neither Oklahoma nor Texas A&M got the best stuff out of their starters.

OU starter Cameron Johnson lasted only 2 ⅓ innings, and he allowed five runs (three earned) on seven walks, one hit and an error. A&M’s Shane Sdao gave up four runs on eight hits and a walk in 3 ⅔ innings.

With Johnson and Sdao’s struggles, it turned into a bullpen game for both squads. And both teams continued to get one base once the starters were relieved.

Texas A&M led 5-4 after three innings, and the Aggies added two insurance runs in the sixth.

The Sooners, though, answered quickly. Brendan Brock hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth before Jaxon Willits hit a solo shot on the next at-bat.

Willits, though, was ejected for throwing his bat into the turf after hitting his home run. After Willits tossed his bat, A&M coach Michael Earley threw Willits’ bat toward home plate, sparking a shouting match between the Sooners and Aggies’ coaching staffs.

The Sooners and Aggies both went scoreless in the seventh inning before OU took its first lead of the game on a sacrifice fly from Brock in the eighth.

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Texas A&M got one runner aboard in the ninth inning, but Jason Bodin was able to retire the side and seal OU’s one-run victory.

Bodin earned the win for Oklahoma, as he allowed zero runs on zero hits, one walk and one hit-by-pitch in 2 ⅓ innings. For Texas A&M, Clayton Freshcorn earned the loss, as he surrendered Brock’s go-ahead sac fly.

Oklahoma totaled 13 hits over eight innings, and six of those went for extra bases. Texas A&M logged only six knocks, though the Aggies reached base 11 times on walks.

With the win, Oklahoma is now 16-2 overall and 1-0 in SEC play. The Aggies dropped to 15-2 and 0-1 with the loss.

Game 2 of the series between the Sooners and Aggies will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday. OU can clinch a series win with a victory.