OU baseball rewind: Sooners 'just didn’t get it done' in rare sweep by Kansas State

NORMAN — Brady Day didn’t know if his hit would clear the wall in right field.

But it didn’t matter.

OU and Kansas State were tied in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday in Manhattan, Kansas, when Day battled to a full count at the plate. The Wildcats had the bases loaded with just one out, meaning a sacrifice fly was all they needed to secure the win.

Day delivered by connecting on a pitch from Carson Pierce, and he immediately began to celebrate as he watched the ball sail into right field.

The ball ultimately landed on the warning track, just a few inches shy of a walk-off grand slam. But it still bought Kansas State’s Brendan Jones plenty of time to cross home plate and secure his team’s 8-7 win.

The narrow loss marked a disappointing end to a rough week of games for the Sooners. After falling to Dallas Baptist on Tuesday, OU got swept in its three-game road baseball series against Kansas State.

OU let Sunday’s game slip away. The Sooners erased an early three-run deficit to take a 7-3 lead into the eighth inning only to watch the Wildcats score five unanswered runs the rest of the way.

“We fought back,” OU head coach Skip Johnson said. ”That’s what was good. We took the lead, but we just couldn’t maintain the lead. We just didn’t get it done.”

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OU baseball coach Skip Johnson looks to his players before a game at Virginia Tech on June 11, 2022.
OU baseball coach Skip Johnson looks to his players before a game at Virginia Tech on June 11, 2022.

OU

Overall record: 13-11

Last week: 0-4 (Lost to Dallas Baptist 8-6, lost to Kansas State 7-1, lost to Kansas State 7-6 and lost to Kansas State 8-7)

This week: at Wichita State, 6 p.m. Tuesday; vs. Stanford, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday

More:Tramel: Big 12 football faces scheduling decisions without a clear mandate

Top OU baseball player last week

Wallace Clark, 3B: There weren’t many bright spots for OU this past week, but Clark did well at the plate. The sophomore recorded three RBIs and one run on .286 hitting.

OU baseball stat to know

1990: OU got swept by Kansas State in a three-game series for the first time since 1990.

More:Get to know the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners baseball team and schedule

OU fails to close down the stretch

Jackson Nicklaus laid it all out on the field.

OU was clinging to a one-run lead over Dallas Baptist in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday. The Patriots had the bases loaded with one out when Nate Rombach sent a ground ball up the middle.

Nicklaus did all he could to make the snag. The sophomore second baseman dove head-first, sliding across the turf at L. Dale Mitchell Park, but the ball narrowly elided his glove and bled into the outfield.

Two runs scored, giving Dallas Baptist the lead. The Patriots then tacked on one more run to secure an 8-6 win.

OU struggled to close out games this past week. The team also suffered a pair of one-run losses to Kansas State on Saturday and Sunday.

More:How OU football became 'a close team' this offseason after a health scare, tornado

OU experiences rare base running struggles

The Sooners weren't able to make much of an impact with their base running this past week.

OU went 3-for-6 on stolen base attempts during its four-game losing streak. It also didn't attempt to steal a base in its 7-6 loss to Kansas State on Saturday.

Anthony Mackenzie had the most success on the bags. The junior shortstop went 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts.

OU leaned heavily on its base running last season. The team stole 146 bases on 190 attempts (76.8% success rate), both of which ranked second in the Big 12.

That trend continued this season. The Sooners were 51-for-63 on stolen base attempts (80.9%) prior to their four-game losing streak.

This past week's struggles appear to be an outlier, which OU surely hopes to be the case. The team is at its best when it's aggressive and successful on base.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU baseball: Sooners swept by Kansas State for first time since 1990