Cameron Johnson strikes out 11 as Oklahoma baseball rallies late to beat Texas Tech
Season opens at Globe Life Field with Oklahoma pulling away in the ninth
Oklahoma opened its 2026 baseball season Friday, Feb. 13, with a 10-3 victory over Texas Tech at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. The Sooners were held scoreless through four innings before producing 10 runs over the final five frames, including a decisive five-run ninth.
The game’s early direction was shaped by Oklahoma left-hander Cameron Johnson, who worked six innings and struck out 11 while allowing one run on three hits and three walks. The outing set a career high in strikeouts for Johnson and gave Oklahoma stable starting pitching as the offense searched for timing in the first half of the contest.
Johnson’s start keeps Oklahoma within reach before the offense breaks through
Texas Tech scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Oklahoma did not draw even until the fifth, then used a two-run sixth to move in front. Texas Tech responded with single runs in the seventh and eighth, keeping the outcome unsettled entering the final inning.
Oklahoma’s lineup ultimately produced nine hits and benefited from a Texas Tech defensive error. The Sooners also delivered three home runs, a notable indicator of power production in the season’s first game.
Final score: Oklahoma 10, Texas Tech 3
Site: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas
Oklahoma scoring by inning: five runs in the ninth broke the game open
Ninth-inning surge turns a close game into a comfortable margin
Oklahoma led 3-1 when Johnson exited after six innings, and the Sooners carried a narrow advantage into the late innings before Texas Tech trimmed the margin. In the ninth, Oklahoma’s offense created separation with five runs, highlighted by Brendan Brock’s grand slam to center field. Brock, a junior transfer, provided the game’s most consequential swing at a point when Texas Tech was still within striking distance.
Oklahoma entered the ninth with a three-run edge and finished the inning with a seven-run advantage after Brock’s grand slam capped the rally.
Context: Oklahoma’s opening weekend and early-season schedule
The matchup served as Oklahoma’s first of three games at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown (Feb. 13–15), an early-season event that also includes Oklahoma State and TCU on the Sooners’ schedule. Oklahoma’s 2026 season slate includes 54 regular-season games, with the home opener set for Feb. 17 in Norman against New Mexico State.
For Oklahoma, the opener offered two early takeaways: Johnson’s ability to miss bats at a high rate, and a late offensive burst that turned a competitive game into a run-rule-sized final margin without shortening the contest.