NORMAN, Okla. – The Sam Houston Bearkats made things interesting with three runs in the ninth, but the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners were too much on Friday night, holding on for a 6-5 win in the series opener at L. Dale Mitchell Park. 

The Kats (3-10) trailed 6-2 going into the final frame and cut the lead in half on a 2-run triple by Addison Smith before making it a 6-5 game on an RBI double from Jace Martinez; however, OU's (12-1) Dylan Crooks was able to get the final out to make the single-run advantage hold up. 

It made a winner of Sooner righty Kyson Witherspoon who was nearly untouchable in his final start before OU opens its first season of SEC play. Witherspoon struck out 12 Bearkat (3-10) batters in 5.0 innings to move to 4-0 on the year, including an OU record of 10 punchouts in a row from the first to fourth innings.  

His start nullified an otherwise solid start from Bearkat starter Ryan Peterson who fell to 0-4 on the year despite allowing just three runs with three strikeouts and no walks in 5.0 innings of his own. He surrendered a solo homer to Easton Carmichael in the bottom of the fourth for the first run of the game before the Kats answered back for their only run of the night against Witherspoon, tying it in the top of the fifth on an RBI squeeze bunt by Blake Brown.  

Peterson was not hit hard in the following inning, but the Sooner bats found unoccupied turf just enough to bring home two more runs and retake the lead. An inning later OU cashed in on a 2-out Bearkat error to up the lead to 5-1 on a 2-run single by Da'San Harris.  

The Kats had just two hits before the 3-run ninth with Ryan Franden and Brady Christensen each picking up singles. Easton Dean's pinch-hit double led off the inning before Smith's triple added his second and third RBI to his night's total.   

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The Kats and Sooners will not play on Saturday due to likely inclement weather and instead will play a twinbill on Sunday, beginning at noon. The first game will be a normal 9-inning contest, while the series finale will be just seven frames. Each game will air on ESPN+.