All Sooners

OU Baseball: Oklahoma Dominates Army in Saturday's Elimination Game

The Sooners rebounded from Friday's loss in a big way, blowing out the Black Knights to keep the season alive.

Ross Lovelace

After a rough showing against East Carolina in Oklahoma’s opening match in the Charlottesville Regional, Skip Johnson’s team was on the ropes. Suddenly, the Sooners found themselves in a win-or-go-home game.

The team responded in a big way, putting together one of the most complete performances of the season. Oklahoma (32-27) jumped on Army (38-18) early and never looked back, dominating the Black Knights 10-1.

Braden Carmichael, Oklahoma’s emerging ace, was rocked by the Pirates Friday night, setting up a Braxton Douthit outing against the Black Knights. Douthit’s gem came at a perfect time. It was his best performance of the season and the only complete game on his resume, as he led OU to victory.

Douthit finished with seven strikeouts and walked just four batters in nine innings pitched. He gave up four hits and one run, picking up the most important win of the season for the Sooners.

John Spikerman led the team offensively, adding two hits and one walk in four plate appearances. Bryce Madron was an impact player once again, tallying two hits and four RBI’s in five at-bats. Four Oklahoma players recorded two hits, as the team effort overwhelmed Army in a big way.

In the bottom of the first frame, Oklahoma found momentum. Spikerman’s lead-off single set the tone early and the Sooners were able to build off of it. Kendall Pettis’ ground out on the next at-bat advanced Spikerman to second, setting up Madron for a prime opportunity to put Oklahoma ahead. His double to right center brought a run across the plate giving the Sooners a 1-0 lead after inning No. 1.

After Douthit kept the Black Knights off the board in the top of the first three innings, the Sooners got busy once again in the bottom of the third frame. Another at-bat from Spikerman locked the Sooners on base again. Madron added another RBI to his total allowing Spikerman to score once again, extending OU’s lead to 2-0.

Douthit’s strong start continued for the Sooners, keeping Army off the board in the fourth frame, too. His lone hit given up was an infield single to second, but he quickly rebounded forcing a fly out to end the inning.

The score held steady through the top of the fifth inning until the Sooners opened up the floodgates when the team took over the bats. Wallace Clark notched a lead-off single before Rocco Garza-Gongora and Spikerman were both walked. All of a sudden, Oklahoma had the bases loaded with no outs on the board.

Pettis singled to shortstop and Army couldn’t take advantage of the potential out opportunity, scoring both Clark and Garza-Gongora. The errant throw allowed Pettis to take second base and the Sooners held a commanding lead. Madron’s next at-bat resulted in a triple to left field, bringing Spikerman and Pettis across the plate.

Mackenzie’s infield single with one out completed Oklahoma’s huge inning, as Madron added another run to the tally. Heading to the top of the sixth inning, OU was in full control with a 7-0 lead.

In the sixth inning, the two teams matched each other with a run a piece. The Black Knights scored on a sacrifice fly, while Wallace Clark netted his first homer of the season. The score sat at 8-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning.

When the Sooners picked up the bats again, Anthony Mackenzie singled to shallow right putting the pressure on Army once again. Easton Carmichael fired a two-run bomb to right field, giving the Sooners double-digits on the scoreboard. Heading to the top of the eighth inning, Oklahoma led Army 10-1.

Johnson opted to keep Douthit on the mound for the final two innings, and it paid off. The right-handed pitcher put the Black Knights away and finished his complete game, going the distance for the Sooners and giving the beat up bullpen crucial time to rest.

Carmichael's home-run would be the last change on the scoreboard of the day, giving the Sooners a monstrous 10-1 win over Army.

Oklahoma's season stayed alive with the win, setting up a Sunday battle against the loser of East Carolina and Virginia at 11 a.m.

Published
Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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