West Virginia (13-10) took both games of a doubleheader against No. 17 Oklahoma (14-9) Saturday, handing them their first two Big 12 losses of the year, while taking the series from the first-place Sooners.
After getting no-hit on Friday, the Mountaineers pushed across 17 runs between the two games. They hit six home runs on the day and came up with 21 hits in total. Reed Chumley and Grant Hussey each had three hits on the day.
In the first game, the Mountaineers went down in order in the first inning, while Oklahoma scored a run. An error made by Ben Lumsden on a pop fly with two outs allowed Easton Carmichael to get to second before he was advanced to third on an infield single. Carmichael then scored on a passed ball.
Kyle West hit a double in the second to give WVU their first hit of the series, where he would then advance to third on a sacrifice fly hit by Lumsden. West scored on a wild pitch in the next at-bat to tie the game at one.
The Sooners broke the tie in the bottom of the third as Carmichael drove in a run on a single. West Virginia starter Derek Clark picked off Carmichael, the second Oklahoma base runner he picked off in the game and would continue to keep close tabs on runners at first, making multiple pick-off attempts in the inning. Through three innings, Clark struck out five, allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks.
In the top of the fourth, OU starter Brandon Giraton would load the bases, walking two and allowing a single to Hussey. He struck out Ellis Garcia before being pulled in favor of the lefty Carter Campbell with two left-handed batters due up. Freshman Aaron Jamison, the first batter Campbell faced, would come up big for the Mountaineers, hitting a two-RBI single to put WVU up 3-2.
West Virginia added an insurance run in the top of the fifth as Sam White kicked off the frame with a single, he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Oklahoma’s catcher. White was then driven in on an RBI groundout by West.
In the top of the sixth, the Mountaineers would add three more as Ellis Garcia and Jamison hit back-to-back singles before being driven in on a Spencer Barnett double. Barnett stole third and then scored on an SAC Fly by Skylar King.
Continuing to pile on to their lead, Chumley hit a two-run home run for West Virginia to make it a 9-2 ballgame in the top of the seventh. In the bottom half of the inning, Clark got his third pickoff of the game as he continued his strong outing.
In the bottom of the ninth, with Clark still in the game, Oklahoma would get three straight singles, scoring a run and later loading the bases, but West Virginia stuck with Clark. The game would end uncannily with the Sooners picking up a single and scoring two, but Lumsden would fire in a laser to third to throw out a runner and end the game, with WVU winning 9-5.
Clark pitched a complete game, throwing 127 pitches, allowing four earned runs, on 10 hits and four walks, while striking out seven. After getting no-hit on Friday, the Mountaineers picked up 14 hits, with each batter in their lineup picking up at least one hit.
In the second game, Lumsden got the Mountaineers going early, hitting his fourth home run of the year in the top of the first. West Virginia wasn’t done, however, as Hussey hit a three-run home and freshman Michael Perazza hit a solo shot, the first of his collegiate career to put WVU up 5-0 early.
Barnett would join the party in the second hitting a solo shot of his own to make it 6-0. After Barnett’s homer, Oklahoma’s starter James Hitt’s day was done, he pitched one inning allowing six runs on five hits and a walk, he struck out one.
The Sooners loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one out. WVU starter Tyler Switalski would be pulled after pitching 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and a walk, with four strikeouts. Oklahoma scored a run on a SAC Fly and another on an RBI single from Michael Snyder.
Things were quiet in the middle innings, but OU added a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI from Carmichael. The score was 6-3 heading into the eighth.
Kyson Witherspoon was masterful for Oklahoma. He pitched eight 7.2 innings, striking out 11, allowing just one hit, two walks and one run coming in relief of Hitt. Witherspoon was relieved by his twin brother Malachi, who allowed a two-run home run to Jamison in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.
Coming in for Switalski, David Hagaman successfully closed out the game for WVU helping them to an 8-3 victory. He pitched the final 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk, striking out 10.
The Mountaineers move to 4-2 in conference play, while Oklahoma drops to 7-2 after coming into the series undefeated in Big 12 play.
