Oklahoma evens Bedlam series behind complete game shutout by Braden Carmichael
Oklahoma baseball fans have been spoiled by excellent pitching performances over the years.
There was Dillon Overton and Andrew Heaney duel on a steamy summer morning in Bricktown. Dane Acker no-hit LSU in Houston in 2020. David Sandlin in Omaha last year. And, of course, Cade Horton’s final month of last season that produced gem after gem.
But perhaps none were as special as Braden Carmichael’s final home start on Friday. He was dominant in throwing a complete game shutout in a 5-0 victory against Oklahoma State, leveling the weekend Bedlam series and setting up a rubber game in Norman on Saturday afternoon.
As Carmichael stood in the Sooners dugout for postgame interviews, he remarked to the group of reporters the player on this year’s media credential was, in fact, a picture of him.
‘Oh tonight’s all about you,’ joked someone from the back. Sheepishly, the veteran Sooner hurler grinned and downplayed the thought. But in fact it was, indeed, all about him. For one final time at L. Dale Mitchell Ballpark.
“Yeah, especially on a night like this,” said Carmichael after needing just 96 pitches to dispatch the in-state rival. “Last time pitching on that mound so I had to give it everything I had.”
Everything he had and then some.
“I thought he was really outstanding. I thought his presence was really good from the first pitch on. He established the strikezone (early),” Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. “Made some really good pitches when he had to.
“He’s a strike thrower. That’s one thing he’s going to do is he’s going to keep you in games. I think that’s the biggest thing for him. Him being an older guy and a captain understanding the role that he had to do and taking it one pitch at a time. I thought he did that probably as best as he’s done all year.”
Younger brother Easton Carmichael drew first blood in the fourth shooting a ball into the left-field corner scoring a pair of Sooners.
Clean baseball and momentum go hand in hand.
Anthony Mackenzie, who saw his 42-game on-base streak snapped on Thursday night, added a fifth inning RBI triple and scored on a wild pitch to extend the Sooners lead to 4-0. Diego Muniz tacked on an RBI infield single two innings later.
An Oklahoma State rally was extinguished as quickly as it was started in the sixth. Zac Erhard led off the frame with a single. Roc Riggio was hit by pitch. Three pitches and two ground balls later the inning was over.
“The play Dakota (Harris) made throwing to third was really big to get him settled back in and then (he) made a quaility pitch to (Chase) Adkison to get into a double-play was huge,” said Johnson.
It was the first complete game shutout by an Oklahoma pitcher since Dane Acker no-hit LSU in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“Really just trying to take it inning by inning. Just keep executing pitches. Probably wasn’t until like the ninth inning when it hit me a little bit,” Carmichael said. “Heart started pounding a little more so I’m probably going to sleep well tonight.
“Everything felt pretty good. The fastball command was really good which just makes everything else that much better. Just make sure the fastball command was good and letting them hit it. Throw as many strikes as I could and let the wind do the work. Let our defense do the work.”
Kendall Pettis did most of the work in left field, catching nine of the 17 fly ball outs in the game.
MAN OF THE MOMENT
Taking the ball in a big game is nothing new for Braden Carmichael.
He’s had a knack for the big moment despite never quite taking on a role as Oklahoma’s ‘ace.’
There was the six-inning, seven-strikeout performance in a midweek win over top-ranked Arkansas two seasons ago. And who could forget the seven hitless innings in a Sooners 9-1 series-clinching win at West Virginia on the back-end of the same season.
But this one felt different. Oklahoma needed this one to avoid a series loss, to avoid the battles that come with playing on the bubble on the final day of the regular season.
“He’s always kind of had that since we were little kids,” said his battery-mate and brother Easton. “He’s always kind of had that dog mentality. Kind of learned how to play the game before the talent came and that’s kind of a testament to who he is. The moment is never too big for him.”
Carmichael improved to 7-0 this season, winning his seventh straight start since moving into the Sooners’ weekend rotation.
