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OU Baseball: Oklahoma Goes Deep to Beat South Carolina and Win Series

Jason Walk's home run and Dylan Crooks' late relief work fueled the Sooners' 10-inning victory in Columbia.
Guerin Emig|
Oklahoma outfielder Jason Walk
Oklahoma outfielder Jason Walk | John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

The Oklahoma Sooners’ 17th victory in 19 games was their sweetest yet, a 6-5 10-inning triumph at South Carolina Sunday made possible by Jason Walk’s go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th, and several rallies leading up to the extra inning.

OU (17-2 and 2-1 in the SEC) won the weekend series in Columbia as a result, notable given it was the Sooners’ first series as an SEC member. It was a weekend Skip Johnson’s club won’t soon forget, given those stakes and Sunday’s heroics.

“Just shows you our toughness and perseverance,” Johnson told OU play-by-play man Toby Rowland on the Sooner Radio Network in postgame. 

Start with Walk’s moment.

Batting from the left side against righthanded South Carolina closer Brendan Sweeney, Walk drove a 3-and-1 pitch into OU’s bullpen beyond the left-center field wall. The one-out blast, Walk’s second of the season, gave the Sooners their first lead of the afternoon.

They trailed 1-0 before Dasan Harris’ tying sacrifice fly to center field in the top of the fourth inning.

They trailed 3-1 before Easton Carmichael’s two-out two-run double to the wall in left field in the top of the seventh.

They trailed 5-3 heading into the top of the ninth against Sweeney. 

That’s when Sam Christiansen drew a full-count walk with one out, and Carmichael singled off South Carolina shortstop Henry Kaczmar. Sweeney forced Jaxon Willits into a second base-to-shortstop fielder’s choice for the second out, but then second baseman Jordan Carrion failed to handle Dayton Tockey’s hot grounder and Christiansen scored to make it 5-4.

Kyle Branch followed by singling into the backhand-showing glove of Carrion, ranging far to his right. That brought home Willits from third base to tie the game at 5-5.

When Walk went deep in the top of the 10th, it was left to OU closer Dylan Crooks to finish a 57-pitch, 3⅔-inning outing. Crooks did just that, but not without some anxiety.

He retired Carrion on a fly-out to open the bottom of the 10th, but then Kaczmar singled to right field and Nathan Hall reached on a tough-hop fielding error by OU third baseman Dawson Willis.

Crooks retired Evan Stone on his next pitch, which Stone popped to Branch at second base. 

Then Crooks ran the count full against South Carolina All-American Ethan Petry before getting Petry to pop to Branch to end the game and series. 

Crooks’ effort earned the win, his first of the season to accompany his six saves. 

Johnson got effective long relief from Cade Crossland after starter Cameron Johnson left two batters into the game (Skip Johnson said afterward his starter wasn’t feeling well). 

Crossland kept OU in range before giving way to Jason Bodin in the fifth inning. Bodin gave way to Crooks with one out in the seventh.

OU goes back to work Tuesday night against UT Arlington from the Western Athletic Conference. The Sooners were supposed to play the Mavericks Feb. 19 at Globe Life Park in Arlington but that date was rained out.

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Guerin Emig
GUERIN EMIG

Guerin is a 25-year Oklahoma sports journalist. He spent the bulk of that time with the Tulsa World, where he partnered with Sooners On SI publisher John Hoover on the OU beat before eventually becoming a columnist. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Christy, his sweetheart from Booker T. Washington's Class of ‘86.

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