Week 6 OU Baseball Report: Sooners prove their mettle taking series from Gamecocks
If we’re being honest, South Carolina is kicking itself over Oklahoma’s 6-5 10-inning Sunday victory last weekend in Columbia.
The Sooners entered the top of the ninth inning down 5-3 and were the recipients of help from the Gamecock defense on the way to scoring two runs to tie the game.
South Carolina was charged with one error in the frame, yet Kyle Branch also came up with an infield hit and Dasan Harris hit into what was ruled a fielder’s choice, though no out was made.
Still, OU proved its mettle by not going quietly and putting the Gamecock defense in a position to have to earn victory, which it could not do.
The Sooners got the clutch hit they needed, too, when leadoff man Jason Walk went deep with a game-winning home run in the top of the 10th.
Additionally, the Sooners got two very different and huge pitching performances from Cade Crossland, who was unexpectedly pressed into action in the first inning, and closer Dylan Crooks, who almost went a full four innings, his longest appearance of the season, on one day of rest.
More on them below.
Bottom line, OU won a game that should pay dividends the rest of the Southeastern Conference season, not to mention each step of the postseason, of which there could be many.
It ought to give the Sooners confidence, too, as early as this weekend, when Mississippi State (13-7, 0-3) visits at the end of the week, likely very hungry after being swept by Texas in three competitive games.
The Schedule
Last week
— def. Louisiana Tech 9-5
— def. South Carolina 8-5
— lost to South Carolina 11-5
— def. South Carolina 6-5 (10 innings)
This week
— vs. Texas-Arlington, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
— vs. Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m. Friday
— vs. Mississippi State, 4 p.m. Saturday
— vs. Mississippi State, 2 p.m. Sunday
Record: 17-2 (2-1 SEC)
Streak: Won 1
Team numbers
Entering last week
Games: 15
Batting avg: .318
On-base pct: .423
Slugging pct: .519
Home runs: 15
Triples: 7
Doubles: 35
Stolen bases: 41
Caught stealing: 7
ERA: 3.59
SO/IP: 159/128
Fielding pct: .973
Errors: 14
Unearned runs allowed: 4
Entering this week
Games: 19
Batting avg: .303
On-base pct: .416
Slugging pct: .495
Home runs: 21
Triples: 7
Doubles: 38
Stolen bases: 48
Caught stealing: 10
ERA: 3.95
SO/IP: 193/164
Fielding pct: .970
Errors: 20
Unearned runs allowed: 9
Individual leaders
Batting average: Dasan Harris .370, Trey Gambill .360
On-base pct: Trey Gambill .542, Jason Walk .488, Sam Christiansen .488
Slugging pct: Easton Carmichael .639, Dasan Harris .593
RBIs: Easton Carmichael 21, Jaxon Willits 18
Home runs: Easton Carmichael 5, Jaxon Willits 5
Triples: Easton Carmichael 2, Sam Christiansen 2
Doubles: Jason Walk 6, Trey Gambill 5, Kyle Branch 5, Easton Carmichael 5, Dawson Wilis 5
Hits: Kyle Branch 24, Jason Walk 23
Runs: Jaxon Willits 25, Jason Walk 17
Stolen bases: Trey Gambill 8, Dawson Willis 7, Jason Walk 7
ERA (minimum 10 innings): Dylan Crooks 0.68, James Hitt 1.40
Wins: Kyson Witherspoon 5-0, Cam Johnson 2-0, Malachi Witherspoon 2-1
Saves: Dylan Crooks 6, Reid Hensley 1
Innings pitched: Kyson Witherspoon 28 1/3, Malachi Witherspoon 22
Strikeouts: Kyson Witherspoon 47, Malachi Witherspoon 22
Inside the numbers
• Willits coming along: Jaxon Willits raised his batting average almost 60 points last week, from .228 to .286., even after going 1 for 5 in the final game of the South Carolina series. He also came up with a double and a home run during the week and has now scored 25 runs, eight more than his nearest teammate.
• Harris watch: Dasan Harris has earned more playing time, seeing real action in each game against South Carolina. Though his batting average came down after going 3 for 9 in the series, he’s nonetheless become OU’s leading hitter with a .370 average and last Friday connected with his first collegiate home run.
Notes of note
Pitching heroes
Sooner closer Dylan Crooks went above and beyond last weekend to help the Sooners get two of three at South Carolina, getting a fairly routine save in the opener before returning in the Sunday game with one out in the seventh inning and delivering a courageous performance.
Crooks, who’d previously proven he can go long in relief, tossing three innings and 42 pitches against Virginia, went even longer — 3 2/3 innings, 57 pitches — and on short rest at that.
Sooner coach Skip Johnson appeared to go with him because Crooks was the last guy in the bullpen he trusted to get outs.
Crooks wasn’t perfect, but gutted out the appearance, yielding just a run despite allowing four hits, a walk and a hit batsman.
No save this time, but he got the win for his efforts.
In the same game, after starter Cam Johnson had to exit without recording an out, Johnson went with Cade Crossland, who’d struggled mightily at Dallas Baptist the previous week, but who’d thrown two very effective innings against Louisiana Tech just four days earlier.
So, on three days rest, after throwing 41 pitches against the Bulldogs, Crossland entered and threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and a hit batsman, yet yielding no earned runs, thus giving his team a chance.
Pitching problems
The No. 2 man in the Sooner rotation, Malachi Witherspoon, has been rocked in consecutive starts, allowing 12 hits and 11 earned runs over his last 7 2/3 innings, allowing his earned run average to jump from under 2 to 5.73.
If it’s right that Cam Johnson was merely under the weather in his Sunday start against the Gamecocks — in which he walked one batter on four pitches and hit the next batter before being removed — could we possibly see Crossland step into a starter’s role against Mississippi State, while Johnson remains in the weekend rotation?
Malachi Witherspoon wasn’t the only problem on the staff this past week. But for Kyson Witherspoon in the Friday starting role, Crossland on Sunday and Crooks on Friday and Sunday, the only pitcher to truly impress last week was Reid Hensley, who did not give up a run in two short appearances: 2/3 of an inning against Louisiana Tech and a full inning against South Carolina.
Pay attention to mid-week games.
Johnson treated last week’s as a bullpen game, no doubt looking for new arms to trust. He’s bound to do it again.
Movin’ on up
In the best of the many college baseball polls available, the USA Today coaches’ poll, the Sooners are up to No. 9, tied with Oregon.
There are still five SEC teams in front of them: No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 LSU, No. 3. Arkansas, No. 5 Georgia and No. 7 Texas.
Until next time …