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OU Baseball: Oklahoma Run Rules UCF in Series Finale

The Sooners launched three, three-run home runs and welcomed UCF to Big 12 play with an emphatic sweep of the Knights in Norman.

John E. Hoover

Carter Frederick, Michael Snyder and Easton Carmichael all launched three-run home runs, and James Hitt pitched almost six strong innings as Oklahoma welcomed Central Florida to Big 12 Conference play with a series sweep.

After taking both games of a doubleheader on Saturday, OU run-ruled the Knights 14-2 on a sunny Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

UCF fell to 9-4 after the sweep while OU improved to 9-5.

Jackson Nicklaus, Snyder, Carmichael and Jaxon Willits had three hits and Carmichael had four RBIs as OU racked up 18 total hits, two doubles and three home runs.

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Hitt got the start and threw 5 2/3 innings while allowing just one run. The junior left hander gave up four hits and two walks but also struck out five.

Hitt yielded a double and a home run, but otherwise kept the ball low and recorded nine ground ball outs.

The Sooners’ bats were smoldering on Saturday and kept the heat up early Sunday.

Kendall Pettis’ sacrifice fly in the second inning scored Anthony Mackenzie for a 1-0 Sooner lead.

In the third, Bryce Madron scooted home to make it 2-0 as Carmichael got caught in a rundown trying to stretch a single into a double.

An inning later, Carmichael left no doubt, blasting a 1-1 pitch from Dom Stagliano over the wall in left field to score Nicklaus and Snyder for a 5-0 lead.

UCF got a run back when Andrew Williamson hit a solo home run off Hitt to start the fifth inning, but Hitt induced three ground balls to end the rally.

The Sooners then added a run in the fifth when Mackenzie drew a two-out walk, moved to third on Snyder’s single to right, and scored on Nicklaus’ single to right.

Hitt gave up a double to Jack Zyska with two out in the sixth, but lefty Jace Miner replaced Hitt and shut that down with another groundout.

OU then poured it on with a 5-spot in the bottom of the sixth.

Frederick and Willits opened with singles, and Spikerman reached on a bunt single that loaded the bases. Madron’s sac fly scored Frederick to make it 7-1, and Carmichael’s RBI single through the right side brought home Willits for a 8-1 lead.

Snyder then mashed a three-run homer to left to put the Sooners on top 11-1.

UCF cut it to 11-2 when Kyson Witherspoon replaced Miner and gave up a walk, a single, a sac bunt and a sac fly by Matt Prevesk to score Williamson.

But the Sooners weren’t done scoring. After Willits ripped a one-out double to left-center, Madron drew a two-out walk and Carmichael ended it in run-rule fashion with a three-run blast to left field.

Oklahoma is back in action on Tuesday when the Sooners host Oklahoma State in a 6:30 p.m. non-conference Bedlam game at L. Dale Mitchell, then visits UT-Arlington on Wednesday night at 6 before resuming Big 12 play next weekend at TCU.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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