OU Baseball: Oklahoma Strands 14 Baserunners in Home Loss to Rider

The Sooners lost for the fourth time in five games to fall to 2-4 on the season.
OU Baseball: Oklahoma Strands 14 Baserunners in Home Loss to Rider
OU Baseball: Oklahoma Strands 14 Baserunners in Home Loss to Rider /

High expectations from last season and a roster full of newcomers has Oklahoma in a precarious position to begin the baseball season.

The Sooners stranded 14 baserunners and lost for the fourth time in five games on Friday, dropping a 6-3 decision to Rider in Norman.

Both teams fought through cold temperatures in the series opener at L. Dale Mitchell Park, but it was the Broncs that made more plays.

OU, coming off last year’s run to the College World Series finals, fell to 2-4, while Rider improved to 3-1.

Oklahoma put the tying run on first with two out in the ninth, but couldn’t close the deal. OU left the bases loaded in sixth, seventh and ninth innings, and stranded two in the third.

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The Sooners took a 1-0 lead in the third when Easton Carmichael led off with a double down the right file line and moved to third on Kendall Pettis’ sacrifice bunt. Carmichael Came home on John Spikerman’s RBI groundout to first base.

OU then quickly put runners at first and second on Anthony Mackenzie’s walk and Bryce Madron’s walk, but left both runners stranded when Dakota Harris flied out.

Trailing 1-0, Rider responded with four consecutive two-out singles off starter Kale Davis to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

OU got two runs back to tie it at 3-3 thanks to Skip Johnsons chaos theory — two runners came home immediately after stealing second base. Pettis delivered a one-out single to right, and after Spikerman flied out, Pettis stole second. He scored on Mackenzie’s single up the middle, and after stealing second himself, Mackenzie came home on Madron’s single up the middle.

Oklahoma cooked up another rally in the sixth, but more baserunners were either thrown out or stranded.

Wallace Clark reached on a one-out error at short, and Diego Muniz drew a walk. Carmichael singled to right, but Clark was sent home and was easily tagged out trying to score from second. Pettis then walked to load the bases again, but Spikerman’s strikeout left the bases loaded.

Rider took the lead back in the seventh when Richie Sica singled through the left side and appeared to be picked off of first and caught a rundown trying to steal second. Instead, Sica was ruled safe at second as umpires called Carter Campbell for a balk. John Volpe then came through with a sharply hit, two-out single up the middle for a 4-3 lead. But Volpe was thrown out by Carmichael trying to steal second.

OU left the bases loaded again in the seventh. Madron reached on a one-out single and Nicklaus and Clark drew back-to-back two-out walks, but Muniz struck out looking to end the rally — Muniz’ first official at-bat of the season (he had drawn walks in his first two plate appearances).

Rider added to the lead with a pair of runs in the eighth. Socrates Bardatsos lined a one-out single to left field, bringing on reliever Aaron Calhoun for the Sooners. But a Calhoun wild pitch sent Bardatsos to second, and after Brendan O’Donnell drew a full-count walk, Bardatsos came home on Luke Lesch’s single up the middle to make it 5-3.

OU turned to left-hander James Hitt — his first appearance of the season — to quash the Broncs’ rally, but Hitt immediately hit Brian Skettini, then gave up an RBI ground ball to Jack Winsett to score O’Donnell and put Rider in front 6-3.

Oklahoma tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth. Spikerman drew a two-out walk and Mackenzie slapped a single through the right side, but Mackenzie was picked off at first to end the threat.

Madron led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, but Harris struck out looking on an 0-2 count. Muniz reached on an infield single and moved up to second, but the final rally ended when pinch-runner Patrick Engskov was thrown out at second on Carmichael’s groundout, leaving the bases loaded again.

OU used five pitchers, with Davis giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings, Campbell allowing two runs on three hits in two innings, and Colton Sundloff pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts.

Game two of the Oklahoma-Rider series begins Saturday at 2 p.m.


Published
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.