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No. 15 Oklahoma’s Bullpen, Bats Struggle in Loss to No. 25 Florida

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No. 15 Oklahoma’s Bullpen, Bats Struggle in Loss to No. 25 Florida


NORMAN — Oklahoma’s game against Florida on Saturday unexpectedly turned into a bullpen game for the Sooners.

OU starter Cameron Johnson exited the contest after only one inning of work, forcing the Sooners’ relief pitchers to record the remaining 24 outs. The results from Oklahoma’s bullpen were mixed, as the No. 15 Sooners ultimately lost 10-5 to the No. 25 Gators.

In his lone inning, Johnson allowed back-to-back baserunners to open the game before retiring three Gators in a row. Johnson went back onto the mound before the second inning before meeting with coach Skip Johnson and one of OU’s trainers. The pitcher then departed from the mound and Michael Catalano — OU’s usual midweek starter — entered the game.

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Catalano gave up a run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning before Caden McDonald hit a three-run home run in the third to give Florida its first lead of the game.

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Trent Collier was the next man up and entered with two outs in the third. Collier made it just one inning and allowed Florida to score two runs, both of which were unearned.

Nick Wesloski, who replaced Collier, had the longest night on the mound for the Sooners. He retired the first 10 batters he faced before giving up a solo home run to McDonald. 

Nate Smithburg, Mason Bixby and Jaden Barfield were OU’s final three pitchers to take the mound, and they gave up three runs over the final two frames.

Offensively, the Sooners scored early but not often.

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Jaxon Willits got OU on the board in the first inning with a two-RBI double to give the Sooners an early advantage. Camden Johnson logged a two-out two-RBI single to shrink Florida’s lead from four runs to two runs.

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Four of Oklahoma’s five runs, though, came from those two hits. Deiten Lachance hit a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for OU’s first run in five innings.

OU finished the game with eight knocks, and Johnson (3-for-4 with two RBIs) was the only Sooner with multiple.

For Florida, McDonald was the star. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs.

Oklahoma’s loss on Saturday follows its 4-3 win over the Gators on Friday. The Sooners scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to earn their comeback win.

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The Sooners dropped to 30-15 overall and 12-11 in SEC with the loss, while Florida improved to 30-17 and 12-11.

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Sunday’s rubber match between Oklahoma and Florida will begin at 2 p.m.

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Oklahoma

Crews respond after fireworks stand catches fire in Broken Arrow, no injuries reported

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Crews respond after fireworks stand catches fire in Broken Arrow, no injuries reported


BROKEN ARROW, Okla. –

Crews responded to a fireworks stand after it caught fire in Broken Arrow Saturday night.

Authorities urged people to avoid E. Kanosha Street near S. 236th E. Avenue as the road is closed and fireworks could spread in the area due to the fire.

Broken Arrow Fire Department released a statement confirming no injuries were sustained as a result of the explosions or fire.

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Fire crews quickly controlled the fire in about 20 minutes according to Broken Arrow Fire Department.

The initial cause of the fire is under investigation.

Viewer Leslie Maxey, who lives close to the fireworks stand, sent in video of the ongoing fire.

“We were putting our daughter to bed with a book when we heard an explosion that was gradually getting louder and louder,” Maxey said.

This is a developing story.

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Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of UNC matchup

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Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of UNC matchup



What you need to know about Oklahoma ahead of the College World Series

North Carolina will face a dangerous Oklahoma team that is on a roll.

Oklahoma (41-22) has been just as dominant. The Sooners, making their 13th College World Series appearance and first since 2022, surged through the postseason as road warriors. They won the Atlanta Regional by upsetting No. 2 seed and ACC champion Georgia Tech in the final, then swept Big 12 champion and No. 15 seed Kansas by a combined score of 21-3 in the Lawrence Regional.

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The Sooners, who are 3-0 in Omaha after beating No. 7 seed Alabama and knocking off No. 3 seed and SEC champion Georgia twice, are seeking their third national championship. Oklahoma won titles in 1951 and 1994 and finished as runner-up to Ole Miss in 2022.

Here are a few things to know about Oklahoma:

Best player: Catcher Deiten LaChance

LaChance is Oklahoma’s most powerful hitter. He is batting .333 with 12 doubles, two triples and team highs of 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.

Throughout the postseason, he is hitting .326 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. In Omaha, he is 5-for-14 (.357) with one home run and five RBIs.

Strengths

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Like North Carolina, Oklahoma is a balanced team that is good at a little bit of everything and is built to frustrate opponents.

Oklahoma is a balanced hitting team like UNC, but the Sooners have hit a few more homers with 91, compared to the Tar Heels’ 82. That is largely due to the Sooners smashing 26 home runs in their 10 postseason games. In Omaha, OU has homered eight times, including five homers in its win over Georgia in its previous game.

The Sooners have stolen 129 bases this season. That is good for 24th nationally and second in the SEC.

Pitching-wise, OU is 18th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings and leads the SEC in shutouts.

Weaknesses

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The most glaring weakness is the pitching staff, despite its ability to strike out opposing batters and record shutouts.

The Sooners have a 4.98 ERA as a staff. Only one pitcher with 10 or more appearances has an ERA under 3.60.

They also allow 4.51 walks per nine innings, which ranks 138th nationally.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.





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Oklahoma State Football Target Israel Hammons Commits to Cowboys

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Oklahoma State Football Target Israel Hammons Commits to Cowboys


It was a Friday Night Lights in June kind of moment for the Oklahoma State Cowboys as Israel “Izzy” Hammons made his commitment announcement.

The Choctaw, Okla., rising senior announced his decision to commit to Oklahoma State on Friday during an Instagram Live session. The Cowboys beat out a roster of schools vying for the linebacker, most notably Texas.

Hammons made just two official visits — one to OSU and one to Texas last week.

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His commitment pushed the Cowboys’ 2027 recruiting class back to nine players after the defection of Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL) offensive lineman Chase Clark to Purdue.

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Commitments are non-binding. The earliest that Hammons can sign with OSU is in December.

Izzy Hammons to OSU

Hammons is the first four-star player to commit to the Cowboys this cycle. Their previous commitments all came from three-star players. The 6-3, 225-pound linebacker was considered a Top 200 player in the country by both On3/Rivals and 247Sports. Both services had him ranked as a Top 10 player in the state of Oklahoma at any position. He’s also considered the No. 1 linebacker in the state.

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He also runs track and field, competing in the high jump and the 100-meter days, with a personal best of 11.30 seconds in the latter.

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The Longhorns came in hot at the end but already had linebackers committed to the program this cycle. For the Cowboys getting a pledge from a player like Hammons is key to shore up a position where they didn’t have a commitment and where they plan to use senior transfers as starters in 2026. That means OSU and head coach Eric Morris must start building a pipeline now.

OSU’s Class of 2027

After Clark’s decommitment the Cowboys were down to eight recruits for 2027 entering Friday, most of which were on the offensive side of the ball and starting with Iowa Colony (Texas) quarterback Carson White, who was the cycle’s first commitment in April.

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Up front, OSU has two offensive line commitments Jake Baker of Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn., and Sonny Mullen of Troy, Texas. When it comes to skill positions players the Cowboys have three commitments as well, including two wide receivers — Cooper Hooker of Pryor (Quapaw, Okla.) High School and Ake O’Neal of Argyle, Texas. Oklahoma State also has a pledge from tight end Talan Scott of Queen City, Ariz.

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Defensively, the Cowboys have commitments from safeties Chayce Davis of Euless (Texas) Trinity High School and Bryson Brown of Broken Bow, Okla.

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