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Oklahoma Evens Series in Extra Innings

West Virginia miscues allow Sooners to take game one of a doubleheader and even series

The West Virginia Mountaineers (17-22) grabbed a 4-1 lead in the first, but mistakes in the sixth allowed the Oklahoma Sooners (23-22) to take the lead. The Mountaineers battled back in the final two frames only to fall short in extra innings 8-7, dropping the first game of the doubleheader.

Leadoff hitter Peyton Graham opened the game, pulling the 0-1 pitch over the left field wall to give the Sooners the early 1-0 advantage.

West Virginia answered in the bottom of the inning when Austin Davis hit a leadoff single and immediately stole second. Then, with one out, Paul McIntosh flared a double into shallow right field, just inside the foul line, scoring Davis to tie the game. Hudson Byorick single through the left side for an RBI single before Alec Burns crushed the 1-0 pitch well over the left-centerfield wall to give the Mountaineers a 4-1 lead.

Alec Burns watching his first of two runs against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.

Alec Burns watching his first of two runs against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.

In the fourth, Oklahoma cut the Mountaineer lead to one after Conor McKenna produced a one-out single, Kendall Pettis worked a walk, and Brandon Zaragoza advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt before a wild pitch scored McKenna. Then Breydon Daniel singled into left field, scoring Daniels to get the Sooners back within a run, 4-3.

West Virginia starting pitcher Jake Carr went five innings with eight strikeouts, allowing three runs on five hits before Skylar Gonzalez took over in the sixth, and he would not make it out of the inning. Jace Bohrofen got it started with a deep drive into left-center and took third after the ball was bobbled on retrieval. Then, Zaragoza hit a groundball snagged by Gonzalez and had Bohrofen caught cheating towards home, but a wild throw to third tied the game as Zaragoza moved to second, and Just Mitchell gave the Sooners the lead, 5-3, with an RBI single to left field. Head coach Randy Mazey called on Adam Tulloch out of the bullpen, who got out of the inning, retiring the side.

Sooners tacked on a run in the eighth when McKenna drew a walk, Bohrofen singled into shallow left field, advancing McKenna to third before Mitchell hit a deep fly ball to the left field wall for the sacrifice RBI and extending the Sooners lead 6-4.

Austin Davis hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning to get the Mountaineers back within one and, in the bottom of the ninth, Alec Burns came up big digging out the 0-1 pitch for a leadoff home run, tying the game at six and sending the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 11th, with one on and one out, Jimmy Crooks drove the 3-2 pitch into the Oklahoma bullpen, giving the Sooners the 8-6 advantage.

Byorick hit a bouncing groundball to third that went off the glove of Peyton Graham, taking first base before Jaret Godman walked consecutive Mountaineers, loading the bases before Dominic Ragazzo hit a deep sacrifice fly ball, scoring Byorick and advancing Willian Bean over to third. However, Sooner reliever got out of the inning as the Mountaineers fall 8-7.

West Virginia and Oklahoma will conclude the series with game three at approximately 7:35 pm EST.

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