If revenge is a dish best served cold then Tuesday night provided the perfect atmosphere at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman. A week ago, to the day, Oklahoma dropped a game at Dallas Baptist by a final score of 5-2. With strong winds topping more than 20 MPH, and temperatures dropping down into the 40’s, the Sooners faced Dallas Baptist for the second time in a week. After dropping the game, 5-2, at DBU last Tuesday they were more than eager to make up for their shortcomings.
A 6-4-3 double-play off the bat of Brylie Ware spoiled what could have been a monumental opening frame for Oklahoma Baseball. Four consecutive Sooners had reached base to lead off the bottom half of the inning with Kyler Murray capitalizing by hitting an RBI single to right field to score Brandon Zaragoza. The double-play ended OU’s threat of doing more damage but it was clear after one inning of play that Oklahoma was going to make a run at Kody Funderburk’s perfect ERA.
Funderburk came to Norman having appeared in two games, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing just one hit and fanning six batters. After allowing his first earned run of the opening frame, he was rung up for his second in the next inning off the bat of Tyler Hardman who scored Kyle Mendenhall on an RBI groundout to shortstop.
The Patriots found their mojo in the third by plating Jameson Hannah and Devlin Granberg in the top half. Funderburk also got into a rhythm in the third by sitting Oklahoma down in order for the first time.
The Sooners bounced back in the fourth by scoring Brylie Ware, Justin Mitchell and Cade Cavalli. Ware and Mitchell came home on Cavalli’s single to the left side, and then the freshman first baseman scored on a single by Cade Harris.
The sixth inning is when Oklahoma finally put some distance between themselves and Dallas Baptist. All nine batters made a plate appearance in the frame with six of them reaching base and five of them coming home. At the end of the frame the Sooners had increased their lead to 10-3 on their way to a 15-3 victory.
Cade Harris and Kyle Mendenhall each had a three-hit night, with Mendenhall also knocking in three RBI. Six batters recorded multiple hits on the night and eight knocked in at least one RBI.
The Sooners will be home this weekend against Texas A&M Corpus Christi.