OU baseball comes from behind, takes series opener vs. Florida, 4-3

OU scored three runs in the eighth to come from behind and take the opener from Florida on Friday night, 4-3, at Kimrey Family Stadium. A loud start to the Sooners weekend series with the Gators with postseason implications. 

Florida starter Aidan King was excellent for Kevin O’Sullivan’s club, recording a career-high 10 strikeouts. 

Jaxon Willits‘ two-run triple tied the game in the eighth. Dasan Harris broke the tie with a two-out, go-ahead single two batters later. 

“You’re kind of at that point of the season where you have to start trending upward. You gotta start getting hot towards the end, towards the SEC Tournament, the regional to make that run to Omaha,” said Jaxon Willits who finished his night 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk. “All the momentum and all of the energy fed into the team and everybody is going to be ready to go for tomorrow.” 

SOONERS THREE-RUN EIGHTH

For the better part of the night, Oklahoma couldn’t get the base hit when they needed it. Blake Cyr started the Florida eighth with a solo shot to left field, extending the deficit to 3-1. Then the wheels started churning. 

Brendan Brock drew a one-out walk. New hurler Joshua Whritenour plunked Trey Gambill with the first pitch of his night, setting the table for Jaxon Willits. 

For the third time in four plate appearances, Willits found himself jumping ahead in the count 3-1. Third time was the charm for Willits, who blasted it off the right centerfield fence, tying the game 3-3. 

“He was struggling to find the zone in that at-bat. He had hit Trey (Gambill) in the at-bat before on the first pitch. I got to time him up 3-0. Got the take, but I was able to see the pitch really well and then I got a very similar pitch 3-1 and I had just seen it and was able to be on time and the boys started running,” said Willits following the Sooners come from behind win. 

After Willits was caught in a rundown between third and home plate for the second out. It set the stage for Dasan Harris. And as he’s done so many times over the last month and half, Harris delivered, scoring Deiten LaChance from second, giving the Sooners the lead. 

“Dasan is like Trey Gambill to me. He’s does everything right. He’s going to work his mechanics the way they tell him to. It’s really fun to watch him. He grew up in our program from the time he’s a freshman. It’s been really cool to watch,” said Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson. 

Oklahoma opened its scoring by manufacturing its first run of the weekend on a Jason Walk RBI ground out, tying the game in the fifth. Freshman first baseman Connor Larkin finished the night going 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

OU PITCHING HELD IT TOGETHER 

Oklahoma started the weekend series unconventionally, going with opener Kadyn Leon. Leon worked two innings, allowing three hits. He worked around a bases loaded, no out jam in the second frame unscathed with a double-play and a ground out.

LJ Mercurius worked the next four innings allowing an unearned run in the third, retiring the final 11 Gators he faced. A step in the right direction for Mercurius who came out of the bullpen for the first time this season.

Younger brother Xander Mercurius walked in a run in the seventh and allowed a leadoff home run in the eighth. Jason Bodin closed out the frame giving way to Jackson Cleveland to pick up his seventh save of the season. 

NEXT UP

No. 15 Oklahoma 30-14 (12-10) and No. 25 Florida 29-16 (11-11) are back at it Saturday for a nationally televised affair on SEC Network. The Sooners will be looking for their fifth conference series win of the season.