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OU Baseball: Oklahoma Drops SEC Home Opener to Mississippi State

The Sooners were unable to cash in on an excellent performance from Kyson Witherspoon on the mound in the series opener against the Bulldogs.

Payton Means

Oklahoma Pitcher Kyson Witherspoon
Oklahoma Pitcher Kyson Witherspoon / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma starter Kyson Witherspoon put his team in position to win the program’s SEC home opener on Friday night. 

The OU ace held Mississippi State to two runs, and the Sooners needed just one run in the ninth to extend the game. 

Right fielder Sam Christiansen drew a walk to bring the winning run to the plate, and a wild pitch allowed Christiansen to move into scoring position for pinch hitter Brandon Cain with two outs. 

Cain took a pair of big hacks, but he ultimately chased a ball up in the zone to strike out and Mississippi State held on for a 2-1 win at L. Dale Mitchell Park. 

With the series opener in their back pocket, the Bulldogs moved to 15-7 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, while OU while to 18-3 on the year and 2-2 in conference action. 

Final Box Score
Final Box Score / OU Stats

Mississippi State got a single from Sawyer Reeves to start the game, but Witherspoon bounced back with consecutive strikeouts. 

The first inning was extended by an error by OU shortstop Jaxon Willits, however, a mistake which would come back to bite the Sooners. 

With new life, Bryce Chance singled to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead after one. 

Oklahoma applied some chaos of their own in the top of the second when a walk drawn by Drew Dickerson and a single from Christiansen put runners on first and second with one out.

Dawson Willis drew a walk to load the bases, but Dasan Harris struck out and Jason Walk flew out to end the Sooner threat.

Witherspoon cruised until the seventh, but OU couldn’t level the game. 

The Sooners struck out eight times across the third, fourth and fifth innings, stranding just one batter in the process. 

Oklahoma got two aboard in the sixth thanks to a Willits single and an error, but the home team was unable to make the Bulldogs pay for their miscues. 

Mississippi State starter Pico Kohn's day would end there as he was flawless on the mound for the Bulldogs where he allowed only two hits and would strikeout 10 Sooners in six innings of work.

The Bulldogs finally got to Witherspoon again in the seventh. 

The leadoff batter, Ross Highfill, reached after a scary moment as he squared up to bunt and ended up taking a pitch to the helmet. 

Michael O’Brien was called in off the bench to pinch run for Highfill, and he promptly stole second. 

A deep fly out moved the runner up one bag, then Dylan Cupp’s sacrifice fly doubled Mississippi State’s lead. 

OU coach Skip Johnson then withdrew Witherspoon, who was excellent. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up five hits, two runs had 11 strikeouts and only walked one Bulldog.

But the Sooners immediately got a run back. 

Harris gave the offense going in the bottom of the seventh when he reached on an error with two outs. Jason Walk drove in the first Sooner run of the night with an RBI-double, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Mississippi State prevented OU from taking any momentum, however, by striking out Kyle Branch to end the frame.

A clutch double play by the Sooner defense in the top of the eighth held Mississippi State off the board, but OU stranded runners in the eighth and ninth.

Oklahoma and Mississippi State will return to action in Game 2 of the series on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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Payton Means
PAYTON MEANS

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