Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners Knock Off Kansas State, Move to Big 12 Title Game

The Sooners used an excellent start from David Sandlin and timely hitting to move to Sunday evening's championship game.

ARLINGTON, TX – One win away from a championship. 

After knocking off Texas Tech on Thursday to move to the Big 12 tournament semifinals, Oklahoma looked to punch their ticket to the title game on Saturday against Kansas State.

The No. 3-seeded Sooners would do just that, besting the No. 7-seeded Wildcats 4-3 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

Getting the start for Skip Johnson’s club was right-hander David Sandlin, who would deliver one of his strongest outings of the year in quite arguably the Sooners’ most important game to date.

The JUCO transfer worked seven superb innings allowing just five hits and one earned run while striking out ten Wildcats hitters.

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1️⃣0️⃣ K's for @Sandman__29

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Sandlin, whose outing was sensational enough on it's own, was pitching with a heavy heart on Saturday after his sister, Holli Sandlin, passed away earlier in the week. 

"I thought David (Sandlin) pitched his guts out," Johnson said postgame. "Not many times you see a young man put his team in front of his family. Earlier this week his sister passed away, and he pitched with his heart."

"I think the kids rallied around that."

The win improved Sandlin's mark to 7-3 on the year, continuing his upward climb through the back end of the season. 

"I just tried to treat it like any other game," Sandlin said. "I knew that she (Holli) would be watching today."

"Just tried to go out there and give it everything I got and just win for the team, for her."

Offensively, Oklahoma got the scoring started right away in the bottom of the first, with center fielder Tanner Tredaway continuing his scalding-hot stretch ripping an RBI single that scored Peyton Graham.

Kansas would get that run right back, though, in the top of the second as former Sooner Justin Mitchell singled to right field with the ball then getting thrown into the OU dugout in an attempt to nail a runner at third base.

The game would remain tied 1-1 through four innings.

At that point, the Wildcats snagged their first lead of the afternoon with right fielder Cash Rugely singling to center field to put KSU in front 2-1.

But, as they so often have this season, Oklahoma would respond.

In the bottom of the sixth, with runners on second and third and nobody out, OU catcher Jimmy Crooks hammered a clutch two-run double to deep center that put the Sooners back in the lead 3-2.

𝙅𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨@jimmy_crooks22
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"They didn't try to do too much at one time," Johnson said about his team's timely hitting on Saturday. 

"They've been really resilient the last month and a half of the season. Really proud of them. Can't say enough about what they do."

Oklahoma then got an insurance run added onto their lead one inning later, with shortstop Peyton Graham smoking a solo home run out to left field - his 16th of the season - to push the OU advantage to 4-2.

𝗣𝗚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣

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— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) May 28, 2022

The Wildcats weren't about to give up, however, as Kansas State struck right back for a run in the eighth on an RBI single to left field by Cole Johnson to move back within one run at 4-3. 

Right-hander Trevin Michael then managed to settle things down, calmly retiring the next two hitters to end the inning. 

Michael then finished the job in the ninth, retiring Kansas State in order to seal the victory. 

"Trevin's (Michael) been like that all year," Johnson about his closer's strong close to the game.

"The team rallies around those guys (closers). They get comfortable at the end of the game. They know if they got a lead they're going to win the game."

"He's had an outstanding tournament."

The win improves Oklahoma to 36-20 on the season and moves them to within one win of claiming the Big 12 tournament.

Next up, the Sooners will battle the winner of Saturday’s Oklahoma State/Texas contest in the Big 12 Championship Game at 5 p.m. Sunday evening back at Globe Life Field in Arlington. 

"It's going to be awesome," Crooks said. "It's going to be hopefully a big crowd out there."

The Cowboys and the Longhorns are the only two teams in the conference to win series against Oklahoma this season. 

"Obviously, we dropped the series to both of them," Graham said. "So I think we've got a little bit of a chip on our shoulder to go in there and take care of business."