OU Baseball: Braden Carmichael Dominates as Oklahoma Run-Rules No. 19 Texas Tech
NORMAN – Finishing the weekend on a high note.
After dropping the middle game on Saturday, Oklahoma concluded their three-game series with No. 19 Texas Tech on Sunday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman.
Behind a strong performance from left-hander Braden Carmichael on the mound, the Sooners (19-18, 4-8) salvaged the series with a decisive 12-2 run-rule win over the Red Raiders (25-12, 6-6) in eight innings to close the weekend.
Carmichael continued one of the strongest stretches of his OU career on Sunday, working a scintillating 7.1 innings allowing just one earned run and nine hits while striking out five and only walking one.
"I thought he (Carmichael) really settled in and started making some pitches," head coach Skip Johnson said postgame. "Kind of keeping them (Texas Tech) off balance."
The veteran left-hander delivered in his first weekend start of the season when his team really needed it.
"I learned last year, whenever he (Skip Johnson) calls my name, be ready," Carmichael said. "I went through it a little bit last year, but I'm glad I went through it.
"It's nice to be on the weekend. But at the end of the day, whenever he tells me to pitch I'm going to pitch and give it my all"
Aiding Carmichael were some early runs in this one, with Oklahoma jumping in front with a pair of runs in the second inning.
Trailing 1-0, the Sooners snagged their first lead on a two-run homer by Jackson Nicklaus - his sixth of the season and second in as many days.
Bryce Madron then joined the fun the following, hitting a rocket solo homer to right field 104 miles per hour off the bat.
The score stood at 3-1 heading to the fifth when Oklahoma struck for a crooked number on the scoreboard.
The Sooners scored four runs in the frame on an RBI single from Madron, a sacrifice fly from Dakota Harris and a two-out, two-run double from John Spikerman down the left field line.
Suddenly, OU held a commanding 7-1 advantage.
Nicklaus would continue his torrid stretch in the seventh to add more onto Oklahoma's lead.
With the bases loaded and two outs, the lefty roped a double into the left-center gap to clear the bags and extend the OU advantage to nine runs at 10-1.
"Coach (Russell) Raley has put a lot of work in trying to get his (Nicklaus) rhythm better," Johnson said. "Just getting more confident, trying to get his confidence up...He's done a great job with him."
After Texas Tech got one run back in the top of the eighth, OU completed the run-rule in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run homer by Madron, his second of the day, making it 12-2.
"Just trying to find good pitches to hit," Madron said. "Just trying to put a good swing on it, and they happened to fall today."
The win gets Oklahoma back above .500 on the year and snaps a three-game Big 12 losing skid.
"We played probably as complete of a game as we've played all year today," Johnson said.
Hoping Sunday’s strong performance can be the start of a good stretch, the Sooners will hit the road for the short trip to Stillwater on Tuesday for a collision against No. 14 Oklahoma State in a non-conference Bedlam tilt.
"The goal always is to build off wins like this," Nicklaus said. "They (Texas Tech) are a good ball club. We feel like we could have came out of this series with a win, but you know things happen.
"Hopefully we'll carry (this) into Tuesday against Oklahoma State."