OU baseball finding different ways to win, takes Game 1 vs. Santa Clara, 2-1

Throughout a college baseball season teams will be asked to win in different ways, and OU is no different. It’s not always going to be a seven-inning run-rule. 

After scoring a school record double-digit runs in its first seven games of the season, Oklahoma is doing just that. Finding different ways to win. Ultimately, it’s a tally in the win column that counts the same as any of the previous run rules.

OU found a way on Thursday night at Kimrey Family Stadium, taking the first of its four-game series against Santa Clara, 2-1. 

“Playing close games is always good. It’ll make you better in the end. Going out and having to make certain pitches in moments is big. Making plays in certain moments in a game, get big hits or lay bunts down is big. I thought we did a great job of throwing strike one tonight,” said Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson. 

WINNING IN DIFFERENT WAYS

Through the first four innings, OU couldn’t solve Santa Clara starter Max Bayles. 

After loading the bases in the first, Bayles got out of the inning with a strikeout of Nolan Stevens. The Sooners got two aboard with two outs in the third, only to see Deiten Lachance ground out to third. 

Despite the Sooners inability to manufacture runs, Oklahoma was able to get Bayles pitch count up to 90 through four. The ability to separate balls from strikes has been good for Oklahoma. Seeing a lot of pitches. Battling in each at-bat. That patience at the plate got OU on the board in the fifth when Drew Dickerson drew a bases loaded walk. 

A good sign for the sophomore outfielder early in the season. A sign of maturity and growth from his rookie campaign in Norman. 

“I thought it was really big for him to take a walk there. Last year he’d be hacking out of his mind. It shows some maturity on his part to take a walk in the moment of a game that needed it moreso than anything,” said Johnson. 

Oklahoma struck out a season high 15 times, while also stranding 13 runners on base. 

PRADO READY FOR HIS MOMENT

After Santa Clara tied the game in the sixth, Gerardo Prado delivered his first moment in a Sooners uniform leading off the bottom half with a pinch-hit single to right field. Two batters later, Deiten Lachance followed a Camden Johnson double with a run-producing ground ball to shortstop. Manufacturing a go-ahead run off a pinch-hit single is all it took.  

For Prado, the leadoff single was his first hit in the Crimson and Cream. 

“That’s huge. It was a big difference. He’s been over here and hadn’t hit in 10 days. He took live batting practice yesterday but hadn’t got a hit. Him coming in and being ready to play and with a two-strike approach. It was something we struggled with all night long,” said Johnson. “That’s what is going to happen on Friday nights. You’re going to run into a guy like they had tonight.” 

SOONERS BULLPEN SOLID ALL NIGHT

Oklahoma starter Cam Johnson was electric at times through his 5.1 innings of work, punching out seven while allowing just two hits and an unearned run. 

He worked around two in scoring position with less than two outs in the fourth with a popup to Jaxon Willits and a punch out. 

But the game was won on the backend. Kadyn Leon pitched 1.2 innings, giving up just a two-out single in the seventh. He turned the momentum of the game in the sixth, recording back-to-back strikeouts and leaving the bases loaded full of Broncos. 

“I thought they threw really well. It’s the first time Leon had to really pitch in some danger which was really good for him making some quality pitches with the bases loaded, punching two guys out. He had some really good pitches that were made in a critical moment of the game,” said Johnson. 

Gavyn Jones worked around a one-out double in the eighth, blowing a 95-mile per hour fastball by Camden Sos to end the inning. Jackson Cleveland picked up his second save of the season, slamming the door shut in the ninth. 

NEXT UP 

Oklahoma (12-2) hosts Santa Clara the rest of the weekend with the second game of the series slated for Friday night at 6:30 p.m.