OU baseball rolls past OSU in opening round of the Big 12 Tournament
A slow clap spread throughout Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, as Carter Campbell gathered himself on the mound.
The junior pitcher only needed one more out to secure seventh-seeded OU's Bedlam win over second-seeded OSU in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday. And after pausing for a brief moment, he went into the pitching motion.
Campbell unleashed a fastball in the direction of OSU's Carson Benge, who popped up a ball into center field for the final out.
That sealed a 9-5 victory for OU (31-24, 11-13 Big 12), which advances to face sixth-seeded Texas Tech at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. OSU (37-17, 15-9 Big 12) will face third-seeded West Virginia in an elimination game at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
OU placed three runs on the board in the opening inning, and Dakota Harris sparked the scoring spree.
Harris showed a bunt before going into the swinging motion and connecting on a pitch from Benge. The line drive landed in center field for a two-run single that gave the Sooners a 2-0 lead.
The Sooners could do no wrong at the plate in the early going, and that proved to be true in the top of the third inning.
Kendall Pettis swung and missed on a 1-2 count, but the ball got past OSU catcher Chase Adkison. Pettis reached first base, and one run scored to give OU a 7-0 lead.
The Cowboys battled their way back into the contest thanks in part to Benge, who earned some redemption at the plate after allowing four runs in 2 ⅓ innings pitched.
With his team trailing 7-1 in the bottom of the third inning, the redshirt freshman took his frustration out on a pitch by James Hitt. The ball landed in left field for a two-run single.
OSU then made it a 7-4 contest thanks to a solo home run by Marcus Brown in the bottom of the fifth inning, but that’s when the comeback attempt ended.
OU tacked on another two runs in the top of the seventh inning via a throwing error and a bases-loaded walk, sealing its 9-5 win.
John Spikerman led the Sooners with one RBI and two runs on 2-for-3 hitting, while Benge led the Cowboys with two RBIs on 1-for-4 hitting.
Hitt earned the win for OU. The redshirt sophomore pitcher allowed one earned run and recorded three strikeouts in four innings pitched.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. OSU baseball: Sooners earn Bedlam win in Big 12 Tournament opener
