OU Baseball: Oklahoma Overcomes Five-Run Deficit to Beat UNLV

NORMAN – Put another one in the win column.

After taking the first of the short series on Tuesday, Oklahoma looked to pick up the mini-sweep of UNLV in the second matchup of the two-game set on Wednesday afternoon in Norman.

Despite falling behind by five runs in the fourth inning, the Sooners (8-5) would do just that - rallying for an 8-7 win over the Rebels (5-8) at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

After a couple of scoreless innings to start the afternoon, the two teams would trade runs in the third.

The Rebels got onto the board with a sacrifice fly in the top half before Kendall Pettis scored on an RBI bunt single from Anthony Mackenzie.

UNLV would then put up a crooked number the following inning, plating five runs in the fourth - punctuated by a three-run home run off the bat of Rylan Charles. The Rebels led 6-1 through four innings.

But, the OU offense would respond and then some.

In the fifth, the Sooners scored two on a single from Dakota Harris that pushed both Bryce Madron and Mackenzie across home plate.

𝐃𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐭𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨!

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"Dakota is going to be a pro, he's an elite elite player," second baseman Jackson Nicklaus said. "I'm very thankful that we were able to get him to come here."

Oklahoma then closed the rest of the gap in the sixth, with Easton Carmichael continuing his torrid stretch with a two-run homer to right center.

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨 🌮

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— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 8, 2023

"A lot of the upper classmen have been good with me," Carmichael said about his early success this season. "Kind of carrying me through the ropes and teaching me how to do this thing. It's been a good experience so far and I've enjoyed it."

The Sooners evened the game three batters later with some of their patented “ChaOUs” offense.

Pettis walked to get aboard, took second on a passed ball, stole third and then scored on a sacrifice fly from John Spikerman.

Through six innings, the game was all knotted up at 6-6.

"We didn't flinch whatsoever," Carmichael said about trailing 6-1. "It was early in the game And we were like 'alright time to do what we do.' And there's nothing more to it."

"It's just proving to ourselves later on that when games start getting a little testy that we have the confidence even if we're down that we're going to come back," Nicklaus said. "That's what last year's team was so great at. We knew we were never out of the fight."

After Aaron Calhoun and Carter Campbell teamed up to work scoreless seventh and eighth innings, Oklahoma would jump in front.

With runners on second and third with two outs, Mackenzie ripped one right back to the UNLV pitcher Noah Mattera - but he couldn't handle it time to get Mackenzie at first base, allowing the runner to score from third.

The Sooners later tacked on an insurance run, with Pettis scampering across on a wild pitch.

"I thought Kendall had a really good day," head coach Skip Johnson said. "He was separating balls from strikes. I think that was a separator for us as much as anything."

Oklahoma took an 8-6 lead to the final inning.

The Sooners would hang on for the win, but not without some drama.

After recording the first two outs, Campbell allowed a two-out RBI single that pulled UNLV to within a run.

Johnson then turned to right-hander Aaron Weber to record the final out - to which he would oblige ending the game as an Oklahoma victory.

The win is OU's sixth in their last seven games and moves them three games above .500 going into their final weekend of action before conference play.

"I think we can (still) continue to grow and get better," Johnson said. "Both on the mound defensively and offensively. This game, you got to fight at it everyday."

After one day off, the Sooners will begin a three-game weekend series against Houston on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.