The Oklahoma baseball team scored four unanswered runs but was unable to overcome a seven-run deficit in an 8-5 defeat to East Carolina in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional Sunday afternoon at Disharoon Park.

The Sooners (32-38) conclude the 2023 season in the program's 40th NCAA Tournament appearance, second straight and third in six years (five complete seasons) under head coach Skip Johnson.

Oklahoma scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Pirates (47-18) scored three runs in the third inning and five runs in the fifth to go ahead 8-1. OU responded with a pair of runs in the fifth, then added single runs in the seventh and ninth innings.

"Losing the last game of the year is always tough because you practice to win the last game of the year," Johnson said. "We didn't get our outs on time in the third inning, to maybe give up one run instead of three. In the bottom of the fourth, we had the bases loaded with no outs, and they got out of the jam. Credit to them for doing that, and credit to them for the last two games we played them. They played really well and they're a good team. They took the momentum and got some big hits in that next inning, and we gave up five.

"I think our club really battled the rest of the time through. They showed a lot of character and what our culture is about. I'm really proud of our team for what we did this year, and how far we've gotten with the guys we lost last year. It's no excuse, it's just about baseball. We'll continue to grow the culture to get better every year."

The Sooners loaded the bases with one out in the first inning and scored one run on a sacrifice fly by Anthony Mackenzie. In the fifth, Kendall Pettis walked and scored on a single by Dakota Harris, and Bryce Madron singled and scored on a balk to cut the deficit to 8-3.

Harris hit a one-out double in the seventh inning and scored on a two-out double by Easton Carmichael to pull OU within 8-4. Madron led off the ninth inning with his 12th home run of the season to pull the Sooners within 8-5. Mackenzie was hit by a pitch with one out, but two strikeouts ended the game.

Madron, who was 3 for 4 on Sunday, finished the regional 6 for 11 at the plate with three extra base hits, six RBIs and five runs scored. Harris also went 3 for 4 on Sunday and scored a run, while Carmichael went 2 for 5, adding a single in the fourth inning. Pettis walked twice and scored both times on base.

In the fourth inning, Oklahoma loaded the bases with no outs after singles by Carmichael and Diego Muniz, and a throwing error on Wallace Clark's sacrifice bunt. On the following play, however, ECU first baseman Josh Moylan caught a hard line drive and stepped on the bag for a double play, and a groundout ended the inning. OU also had two runners on with one out in the third inning before a double play stifled the scoring threat.

East Carolina scored in the third inning on an RBI bunt single by Jacob Starling, a fielder's choice groundout by Moylan and a single by Cam Clonch. In the fifth inning, the Pirates hit in four straight at bats, scoring two runs on singles by Carter Cunningham and Moylan. Clonch drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and Justin Wilcoxen hit back-to-back doubles to make the score 8-1.

James Hitt (6-2) started for the Sooners and went 4.0 innings in the loss while ECU reliever Landon Ginn (6-0) earned the win with an inning in relief. Carson Pierce (1.2 innings) and Will Carsten (3.0 innings) held the Pirates scoreless for the final 4.2 frames to allow Oklahoma a comeback attempt.