OU Baseball: Oklahoma Bats Go Cold in Loss to South Carolina

Oklahoma failed to claim its first SEC series win on Saturday.

Fresh off Friday’s 8-5 win over the Gamecocks, the Sooners jumped in front early at Founders Park.

But OU’s pitchers couldn’t contain South Carolina’s offense late, and the Gamecocks were able to level the series with an 11-5 victory.

A three-run fourth and four-run fifth undid Oklahoma (16-2), as South Carolina (16-4) was able to chase OU starter Malachi Witherspoon out of the game.

Things started pretty steady for both teams on the mound, however.

Both Witherspoon and South Carolina starting pitcher Jake McCoy were flawless in the first inning where they combined for five strikeouts.

Oklahoma would once again get the bats going early and find their way on the scoreboard in the top of the second.

Kyle Branch and Drew Dickerson both drew walks to start the inning. Then Scott Mudler followed them up with a bloop single into right field to drive in Branch and put the Sooners up 1-0.

The Gamecocks responded in the bottom of the second inning when third baseman KJ Scobey launched a 0-1 pitch from Malachi Witherspoon over the wall in left center to tie the game. But Witherspoon responded by retiring the next three batters.

Trey Gambill led off the third inning with a single for OU, but when he tried to round second and go first-to-third on Easton Carmichael's single, he appeared to injure himself. Gambill stayed put at second and was replaced by Dasan Harris.

Carmichael got picked off at first, which cost the Sooners a run as Jaxon Willits crushed a two-run shot from McCoy over the left field wall to go back up 3-1.

South Carolina then loaded the bases with one out after Witherspoon allowed a single, a double and hit a batter.

South Carolina first baseman Ethan Petry puled the Gamecocks within one with an RBI-single, but Witherspoon induced a grounder to short and Willits rolled a double play to get OU out of the inning still in front 3-2.

The Gamecocks got after Witherspoon again in the bottom of the fourth however, which started with a massive home run from Kennedy Jones to tie the game at 3-3.

Jase Woita then reached with a double shortly and walks to Talmade LeCroy and Nathan Hall loaded the bases once again for the Gamecocks with two outs. Dalton Mashore made OU pay for the free passes when he drove in two runners to give the Gamecocks the 5-3 lead.

A sacrifice fly from Oklahoma second baseman Kyle Branch cut the deficit to 5-4 in the fifth, but the Gamecock offense wasn't done.

Scobey drew a leadoff walk the bottom of the fifth inning, prompting OU coach Skip Johnson to recall Witherpoon in favor of Micheal Catalano.

Witherspoon pitched four innings, gave up seven hits, six runs and struck out five Gamecock batters.

Kennedy Jones' put runners on second and third and a sacrifice fly by Jase Woita gave the Gamecocks a 6-4 lead. Catalano walked LeCroy, and Johnson made another trip to the mound to change hurlers.

Gavyn Jones entered for the Sooners and on his first pitch Jordan Carrion ripped a single down the left field line to extend South Carolina's lead to 7-4.

A double by Nathan Hall drive in two more runs and inflated the Gamecocks lead to 9-4 after five innings.

The Sooners tried to make some noise in the seventh inning after Willits and Branch both walked but they weren't able to push any runs across.

South Carolina then loaded the bases with one out after Witherspoon allowed a single, a double and hit a batter.

The Gamecocks added another in the seventh after a 10-pitch battle between shortstop Henry Kaczmar and OU reliever Reid Hensley.

Kaczmar fouled off six pitches before finally dropping one into shallow right field to extend the lead to 10-5.

Scott Mudler scored on a wild pitch from third in the eighth to pull OU within four, but Jones’ double in the bottom half of the eighth extended the lead back out to 11-5 and Oklahoma couldn’t rally in the ninth.

The Sooners and the Gamecocks will be back in action on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. to decide the series.