OU Baseball: Oklahoma Overcomes 7 Errors to Beat Kansas

The Sooners couldn't count on their defense at all Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament, so they simply outscored the Jayhawks to advance.

Oklahoma's Michael Snyder / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

How good is the Oklahoma offense?

Good enough to overcome a defensive avalanche of seven errors, apparently.

The No. 8-ranked Sooners lit up the baseball and held on to beat Kansas 7-5 Thursday afternoon in the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

The Sooners — who ran away with the Big 12’s regular-season title by three games to earn the No. 1 seed at 23-7 in conference play — improved to 36-18, while 7-seed KU fell to 30-21.

OU advanced to Friday’s semifinal at Globe Life, another 12:30 p.m. start Friday against the winner of Friday morning’s TCU-KU game. 

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The Sooners opened the tournament Wednesday with a 4-0 win over the Horned Frogs behind a complete-game shutout from starting LHP Braden Davis.

The seven errors aren’t a school record — that was established in 1932 when the Sooners committed 10 errors against Oklahoma State — but it’s the most by an OU defense in recent memory.

Pettis went 3-for-4 while Willits, Carmichael, Snyder and Mudler each had two hits. Willits and Mudler both delivered two RBIs.

The Jayhawks began the ninth down three runs, but scored once and put the tying run on base before Malachi Witherspoon recorded the final out with a fly ball to left.

OU plated a run in the bottom of the first when John Spikerman singled up the middle, took second on a pickoff attempt, moved to third on a groundout and came home on Easton Carmichael’s sacrifice fly to right.

But the wheels came off in the next frame as the Oklahoma defense — 10th in the Big 12 this season with a .970 fielding percentage — committed three errors. Kendall Pettis couldn’t make a running catch on a fly ball in left, third baseman Anthony Mackenzie misplayed a ground ball, and shortstop Jaxon Willits immediately booted another grounder.

Coupled with a leadoff double and two walks issued by starter Kyson Witherspoon, the Jayhawks seized a 3-1 lead.

The Sooners got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Mackenzie led off with a single, took second on Pettis’ infield single and then scored on Scott Mudler’s single to center.

But more shoddy defense led to more KU offense in the third.

Mackenzie’s one-out throwing error allowed a runner to reach and eventually score on another fielding error by Spikerman in center field to give the Jayhawks a 4-2 lead.

Despite the defensive carnage, the dynamic Sooner offense rallied and took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth.

Pettis opened with a double down the left field line and scored easily on Mudler’s single through the right side. After two strikeouts, Willits hammered a two-run home run to center field to give the Sooners a 5-4 lead.

Witherspoon went four innings with six strikeouts and didn’t allow an earned run on two hits, but also allowed six walks.

In the seventh, OU exploded for two more runs on a pair of triples, an RBI single, a stolen base — and still left two runners on base.

Carmichael led led off with a triple to left and scored on Michael Snyder’s single to left. After Snyder swiped second, he scored on Jackson Nicklaus’ triple off the center field wall for a 7-4 lead. Sooner hitters drew a pair of walks before a pitching change, but Spikerman popped up to end the rally.

Willits committed error No. 7 with a high throw to first to lead off the top of the ninth. That runner eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning. Willits caught a hot line drive for the second out, and Pettis finished it off with a fly ball out in left.

The Sooner bullpen had a strong outing to help overcome the defense and the walks, as Carter Campbell and Dylan Crooks combined for four scoreless innings before Malachi Witherspoon closed it out.

OU left 11 runners on base, while KU left 13.

OU is chasing its second Big 12 postseason title in three years and fourth overall. The Sooners other Big 12 tournament wins came in in 1997, 2013 and 2022.

Beyond that, Skip Johnson’s squad is trying to lock up a top-eight national seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament. That would allow the Sooners to host both a regional and, if they advance, a super regional in Norman.