It may have gotten hairy towards the end, but the Sooners got back in the win column on Friday night.

Three days after taking their first loss of the season in an 11-0 run-rule blowout at Dallas Baptist, the Sooners got a phenomenal start from ace right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, ultimately holding serve down the stretch for a series-opening 6-5 victory over Sam Houston State. Witherspoon fanned 12 hitters over five fantastic innings, surrendering just one unearned run on one hit and a pair of walks. When a late SHSU rally fell short in the ninth inning, Witherspoon (4-0) earned the decision and picked up his fourth win of the season.

Although Witherspoon gave the Sooners an early jolt of electricity, it took the Oklahoma bats a while to warm up. The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when Oklahoma catcher Easton Carmichael lofted an opposite-field solo shot to right. At the time, Witherspoon was in an unholy groove on the mound; in fact, he struck out 10 consecutive Bearkats at one point in his outing. But SHSU scratched one across in the top of the fifth to tie the game, converting a hit batter, a walk, a throwing error and a fielder's choice into their only run off Witherspoon. Undaunted, the Sooners struck back immediately in the bottom of the fifth, stringing together a pair of runs on back-to-back RBI doubles from Jaxon Willits and Trey Gambill. Dasan Harris doubled home two more in the bottom of the sixth to increase the lead to 5-1.

Although the Bearkats trimmed the deficit with a seventh-inning run off Oklahoma reliever Jamie Hitt, Carmichael immediately answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single that proved crucial. Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson tried to stretch southpaw reliever Jason Bodin for the final six outs, but after working a clean eighth, Bodin got into trouble in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff double to pinch-hitter Easton Dean, and though he struck out the next two hitters, he then walked Blake Brown and surrendered a two-run triple to SHSU second baseman Addison Smith. That prompted Johnson to bring in closer Dylan Crooks, and although Jace Martinez greeted Crooks with an RBI double to cut the deficit to one run, the power right-hander buckled down and induced a groundout to end the game.

Sam Houston State starter Ryan Peterson (0-4) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits across his five innings of work. In recording the game's final out, Crooks picked up his fourth save of the year.

The Sooners and Bearkats will get a rest day tomorrow, as inclement weather is expected in the Norman area. They'll wrap up the series with a Sunday doubleheader; the first pitch of the front end is set for 12 p.m.

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