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OU Baseball: Oklahoma Mashes for Another Run-Rule Victory at Mizzou

The Sooners used an elite offensive performance along with another masterful performance from Kyson Witherspoon to take a 17-7 run-rule victory.

Payton Means

Oklahoma infielder Kyle Branch
Oklahoma infielder Kyle Branch / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma broke away with an explosive six-run eighth inning Friday at Missouri to earn yet another run rule.

The No. 16-ranked Sooners logged their fourth run-rule victory in their last five contests as they pounded Missouri 17-7 in Game 1 of their afternoon doubleheader at Taylor Field in Columbia.

Kyson Witherspoon got the start in the opener and he provided more then enough wiggle room for his offense to keep its hot stretch going against the Tigers, who fell to 0-17 in Southeastern Conference play and 13-25 overall. OU improved to 28-10 overall and 9-8 in SEC play.

Easton Carmichael led the Sooner offense with a three-hit day that included two home runs and six RBIs. Jaxon Willits went 3-for 5 with an extra base hit.

Witherspoon (7-2) earned the win while throwing six innings and allowed four runs while striking out 10 Tiger batters and only walking one. Jaden Barfield, Reid Hensley and Jackson Kircher combined to pitch the final two innings out of the bullpen.

Oklahoma Sooners

Missouri starter Kaden Jacobi and Witherspoon held both opposing offenses in check through the first two innings until the Oklahoma offense exploded in the third.

A two-out single by Willits was followed by Carmichael's eighth home run of the season and propelled the Sooners to an early 2-0 lead.

Jacobi's walk to Dayton Tockey kept the line moving and Jason Walk added the second Sooner home run of the inning and carried a 4-0 advantage into the fourth.

Back-to-back singles from Sam Christiansen and red-hot Drew Dickerson, along with a walk to Dawson Willis, loaded the bases with nobody out and a chance to take a massive lead early.

Willits, who was arguably the quietest player in Thursday's 17-4 win, ripped a double into the left-center field gap and brought in two more runs as the lead inflated to 6-0.

A passed ball allowed Willis to score as Oklahoma added another run that made it 7-0.

One pitch later a sacrifice fly by Carmichael allowed Willits to score as they carried an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth.

Missouri's first hit of the game was a huge one when Kaden Peer made Witherspoon pay on the first pitch of the at-bat and sent the ball over the right field wall to cut the Oklahoma lead to 8-2.

OU had two runners on in the fifth but Josh Kirchhoff forced a key lineout to end the Sooner threat.

Gehrig Goldbeck mustered a single off Witherspoon in the bottom of the fifth but other than one mistake, Witherspoon held the Tiger offense silent.

The sixth inning was more of the same with back-to-back walks to Willits and Carmichael put runners on first and second with one out,

Tockey took advantage and lined a single into right field and drove in another Oklahoma run as the lead increased to 9-2.

Missouri began to see Witherspoon a little better when back-to-back base hits by Jackson Lovich and Kaden Peer put runners on second and third with nobody out.

The Sooners traded a run for an out when an RBI groundout by Pierre Seals cut the deficit to 9-3.

Former Sooner Brock Daniels cut into the lead with his RBI single into center field to drive in Peer, and OU carried a 9-4 lead into the seventh.

Skip Johnson's bunch responded in their half of the seventh with a two-run home run by Christiansen inflated the lead back to 11-4.

Oklahoma loaded the bases once again and had a chance to put the game in run-rule territory against Tiger pitchers Victor Christal and Cayden Nicoletto. But the duo shut down the heart of the Sooner lineup and ended the threat.

Barfield entered for the Sooners in the seventh and after a couple of singles and a walk, the Tigers had the bases juiced and nobody out.

An infield single by Peer kept the line moving and the Tigers cut their deficit to 11-5 and forced another Sooner pitching change,

Reid Hensley entered to try and limit the damage. He induced a ground ball double play but a run came home for an 11-6 score.

Oklahoma got a run back with a single by Kyle Branch and RBI double from Christiansen that brought Branch home and the lead increased to 12-6.

Dickerson followed that up with a double into center field that brought home Christiansen for a 13-6 lead.

After a Willits RBI single, Carmichael's second home run of the day brought home three more runs in the inning and the Sooners carried a 17-6 lead into the bottom of the eighth with a chance to end it.

Jackson Kircher came into the game in the eighth and gained the final three outs of the game and give Oklahoma the 17-7 victory.

Game 2 of the doubleheader is expected to begin about 45 minutes after the end of Game 1.

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Payton Means
PAYTON MEANS

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