GRANVILLE, W.Va. – A two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning by sophomore first baseman Jackson Cramer led the West Virginia University baseball team to a 6-5 victory over No. 23 Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark.

 

A crowd of 2,871 fans saw the Mountaineers tie up the series, the third most to ever witness a West Virginia baseball game.

 

“Thanks to crowd. When you play in front of 3,000 you get locked in, when you play in front of 300 you don’t,” coach Randy Mazey said. “Thanks to the crowd for showing up today. It was an unbelievable atmosphere, there was energy in the stands.”

 

Trailing 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, Cramer gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the afternoon with a two out two-run homer to left center field, scoring senior third baseman Justin Fox. Fox had previously cut the Sooner lead to 5-4 when he drove in senior catcher Cam O’Brien with a double down the left field line.

 

West Virginia (22-14, 5-6 Big 12) finished with six runs on nine hits, and Oklahoma (25-16, 9-5 Big 12) had five runs on 11 hits. Neither team committed an error for the second day in a row.

 

Junior left-hander Ross Vance (6-2) picked up his sixth win of the season and his fourth in four weeks, allowing five runs on 10 hits in 7.1 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.

 

“He didn’t give them free passes. Not the last time out, but the time before that he walked six and hit two, and he can’t do that,” Mazey said. “Even the hits he gave up in the middle of the game were ground balls in the holes, so if he gives up any free passes and pitched that way giving up 10 hits, they would’ve scored a lot more.”

 

Junior right-hander Blake Smith earned his third save, pitching the final 1.2 innings. He gave up one hit and struck out two, while stranding two Oklahoma runners to end the game.

 

Oklahoma took a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring three runs with two outs. Kolbey Carpenter doubled to lead off the game and then scored as Anthony Hermelyn doubled down the left field line. In the next at bat, Sheldon Neuse hit a two-run home run to left center field.

 

West Virginia put together its own two-out rally in the bottom of the first with three straight two-out singles. Freshman second baseman Kyle Davis, Cramer and senior left fielder Brad Johnson all singled with Johnson driving in Davis to cut the deficit to 3-1.

 

Senior shortstop Taylor Munden made it 3-2 in the bottom of the second with a bases loaded single to right center field that scored freshman designated hitter Shaun Corso.

 

Corso then tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth with a double to left field, scoring junior center fielder KC Huth.

 

Oklahoma immediately came back to take a 5-3 lead in the top of the fifth with hits for the first three batters of the frame. An RBI single up the middle by Joshua Ake made it 4-3 and Craig Aikin reached on a fielder’s choice to second base to bring the advantage to 5-3.

 

The loss was issued to Oklahoma reliever Shawn Hunter (0-2), who gave up Cramer’s go-ahead home run. Starter Alec Hansen was pulled in just 3.1 innings after giving up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

 

West Virginia and Oklahoma return for the rubber match on Sunday at 11 a.m. The game has been designated as Kid’s Day, where kids 12 and under can run the bases and receive autographs following the game.

 

West Virginia will send sophomore right-hander Chad Donato (5-3) to the mound and he will face Oklahoma right-hander Robert Tasin (6-1).

 

The game will feature a free video stream, courtesy of Coca-Cola, on WVUsports.com while the radio broadcast can be heard throughout the state on Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG affiliates with Jeff Culhane and Ernie Galusky on the call. Additionally, fans can listen to the broadcast via the WVU Gameday App on their mobile device, as well as the TuneIn Radio App and the leanStream player at WVUsports.com/audio.