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NORMAN — No. 15 Oklahoma rallied from a two-run deficit to take the first game of the series vs. No. 25 Florida, 4-3, Friday night at Kimrey Family Stadium.
Read more: Late-Inning rally propels Sooners to Game One win over Gators
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Sooners (30-14, 12-10 SEC) rattled off three runs courtesy of a Jaxon Willits two-run triple and Dasan Harris go-ahead RBI single.
Jackson Cleveland slammed the door in the ninth with the tying run on first to earn his seventh save of the season.
The game began as a pitchers’ duel between Florida’s Aidan King and OU’s combination of starter Kadyn Leon and first reliever LJ Mercurius. King fanned a career-best 10 batters while Leon and Mercurius limited the Gators (29-17, 11-11) to just one run on four hits through six innings.
To the seventh, a bases-loaded walk pushed Florida’s lead to two runs. OU rallied with the three-run eighth to take the lead before Cleveland secured the win in the ninth on the mound.
Freshman Connor Larkin paced OU at the plate with a 2-for-4 day with one run scored, while Willits’ two RBIs in the eighth tied the game prior to Harris’ go-ahead RBI single.
Pitchers of Record
Win: Jason Bodin (4-1)
Loss: Joshua Whritenour (2-3)
Save: Jackson Cleveland (7)
Statistical Snapshot
- Connor Larkin | 2-for-4, 1 R
- Jaxon Willits | 1-for-3, 1 3B, 2 RBI
- Dasan Harris | 1-for-4, 1 RBI
- Kadyn Leon | 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
- LJ Mercurius | 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Notes
- OU moved to 30-14 on the year, 12-10 in SEC play and 19-5 at home.
- Kadyn Leon made his second start of the season on the mound, going a pair of scoreless innings with one strikeout.
- LJ Mercurius made his first appearance out of the bullpen after starting all 11 weekends entering Friday. The righty went four innings and surrendered one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts and no walks.
- Jason Bodin earned his fourth win in relief of the season, good for the third-highest number of victories on the team.
- Jackson Cleveland earned his team-high seventh save of the year, a number that ranks fourth in the SEC entering the weekend.
- Jaxon Willits recorded his third triple of the season and sixth of his career.
- Connor Larkin recorded his first career multi-hit game.
Up Next
The series continues with game two Saturday evening at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. The game can be heard on The REF 99.3 FM/1400 AM.
