No. 10 Oklahoma suffered its first home loss of the season Friday night, falling 2-1 to Mississippi State in a tightly contested series opener at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The defeat marked the Sooners’ first loss in a series opener since April 2024, as they dropped to 18-3 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (15-7, 1-3 SEC) secured their first conference victory of the season.
The matchup quickly turned into a pitcher’s duel between OU’s Kyson Witherspoon and MSU’s Pico Kohn. Witherspoon (5-1) suffered his first loss of the year despite an outstanding effort, striking out 11 batters over 6 2/3 innings while allowing just one earned run on five hits. Kohn, on the other hand, delivered a dominant performance for Mississippi State, striking out 10 Sooners over six shutout innings to improve to 4-0.
Mississippi State struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on an OU error to plate an unearned run on a Bryce Chance RBI single. Witherspoon settled in after that, tossing five consecutive scoreless frames and keeping the Sooners within striking distance. However, the Bulldogs added a crucial insurance run in the seventh when Dylan Cupp drove in a runner on a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 2-0.
Oklahoma responded in the bottom of the seventh, as Dasan Harris reached on an error and was promptly driven home by Jason Walk’s RBI double to cut the deficit in half. The Sooners continued to threaten in the later innings, putting runners on in both the eighth and ninth, but the Bulldogs’ bullpen held firm. Luke Dotson recorded the final six outs for MSU, picking up his second save of the season.
The Sooners struggled at the plate against Kohn and the MSU pitching staff, striking out a season-high 14 times. Walk’s RBI double accounted for one of just four OU hits in the game, as the lineup failed to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities.
Oklahoma will look to even the series Saturday when they send junior left-hander Cade Crossland (1-1, 4.70 ERA) to the mound. Mississippi State will counter with right-hander Ben Davis (1-1, 3.26 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT, with the game available on SEC Network+ and The Varsity Network app.
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