NORMAN, Okla. (March 23, 2024) – After being no-hit on Friday evening, the West Virginia University baseball team responded in a huge way on Saturday as the Mountaineers swept a doubleheader from No. 17 Oklahoma to take the series. WVU won the first game, 9-5, before claiming the second contest, 8-3, to hand the Sooners their first two losses of Big 12 play.
West Virginia improves to 14-10 and 4-2 in the Big 12 while Oklahoma falls to 14-9 and 7-2 in conference action.
In a complete reversal of Friday, every Mountaineer that stepped to the plate in game one on Saturday had a hit led by a 3-for-5 performance from sophomore Sam White. Senior Reed Chumley hit his team-high fifth home run of the season while freshmen Spencer Barnett and Aaron Jamison each drove in two runs.
On the mound, senior Derek Clark went the distance for WVU’s first complete game of the season. He struck out seven while allowing four earned runs, just one in the first eight innings of the game.
Oklahoma took an early lead with an unearned run in the first, but the Mountaineers answered in the second as junior Kyle West doubled before coming around to score on a wild pitch.
After the Sooners retook the lead in the third, Jamison put the Mountaineers on top with a two-run single in the fourth. WVU extended its lead with a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth on a two-run double by Barnett and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Skylar King.
Chumley provided some more insurance in the seventh with a two-run home run.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Sooners put a few runs on the board, but Clark got some help from his defense. With the bases loaded and two outs, OU hit a single to right where sophomore Benjamin Lumsden scooped up the ball and hosed down the runner trying to go first to third, ending the game.
In game two, the Mountaineers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first as Lumsden, junior Grant Hussey and freshman Michael Perazza each homered. For Perazza, it was the first of his collegiate career.
Barnett hit his second home of the season in the second frame to make it 6-0 before the Sooners put two on the board in the home half.
From there, neither offense could do much of anything against each other team’s top reliever. WVU’s redshirt-sophomore David Hagaman came into the game in the third and never gave up the ball, allowing one run in 6.2 innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters. Oklahoma’s Kyson Witherspoon was nearly unhittable as he allowed just one single and struck out 11 in 7.2 innings.
In the ninth, Witherspoon was taken out after walking a batter and was replaced by his twin brother, Malachi. The first batter he faced was Jamison, who lofted a high fly ball the other way that kept carrying over the wall to provide the Mountaineers with much-needed insurance.
In the bottom of the ninth, Hagaman came back out and put the Sooners down in order with a couple of strikeouts to end the game.
In its last series in Norman for the foreseeable future, the Mountaineers picked up just its second series victory at L. Dale Mitchell Park, the first coming in their first series in Norman in 2014.
The Mountaineers will return home on Tuesday to take on Akron. First pitch from Kendrick Family Ballpark is set for 6:30 p.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
West Virginia improves to 14-10 and 4-2 in the Big 12 while Oklahoma falls to 14-9 and 7-2 in conference action.
In a complete reversal of Friday, every Mountaineer that stepped to the plate in game one on Saturday had a hit led by a 3-for-5 performance from sophomore Sam White. Senior Reed Chumley hit his team-high fifth home run of the season while freshmen Spencer Barnett and Aaron Jamison each drove in two runs.
On the mound, senior Derek Clark went the distance for WVU’s first complete game of the season. He struck out seven while allowing four earned runs, just one in the first eight innings of the game.
Oklahoma took an early lead with an unearned run in the first, but the Mountaineers answered in the second as junior Kyle West doubled before coming around to score on a wild pitch.
After the Sooners retook the lead in the third, Jamison put the Mountaineers on top with a two-run single in the fourth. WVU extended its lead with a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth on a two-run double by Barnett and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Skylar King.
Chumley provided some more insurance in the seventh with a two-run home run.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Sooners put a few runs on the board, but Clark got some help from his defense. With the bases loaded and two outs, OU hit a single to right where sophomore Benjamin Lumsden scooped up the ball and hosed down the runner trying to go first to third, ending the game.
In game two, the Mountaineers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first as Lumsden, junior Grant Hussey and freshman Michael Perazza each homered. For Perazza, it was the first of his collegiate career.
Barnett hit his second home of the season in the second frame to make it 6-0 before the Sooners put two on the board in the home half.
From there, neither offense could do much of anything against each other team’s top reliever. WVU’s redshirt-sophomore David Hagaman came into the game in the third and never gave up the ball, allowing one run in 6.2 innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters. Oklahoma’s Kyson Witherspoon was nearly unhittable as he allowed just one single and struck out 11 in 7.2 innings.
In the ninth, Witherspoon was taken out after walking a batter and was replaced by his twin brother, Malachi. The first batter he faced was Jamison, who lofted a high fly ball the other way that kept carrying over the wall to provide the Mountaineers with much-needed insurance.
In the bottom of the ninth, Hagaman came back out and put the Sooners down in order with a couple of strikeouts to end the game.
In its last series in Norman for the foreseeable future, the Mountaineers picked up just its second series victory at L. Dale Mitchell Park, the first coming in their first series in Norman in 2014.
The Mountaineers will return home on Tuesday to take on Akron. First pitch from Kendrick Family Ballpark is set for 6:30 p.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
