Explosive Offense Leads Sooners to Big Win

Originally Published: Jun 13, 2010 6:56 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia – The OU baseball team avoided elimination with a 10-7 victory over Virginia Sunday, forcing a decisive game three to decide which team advances to the College World Series.

Virginia jumped ahead early, as Dan Grovett and Jarrett Parker each hit RBI doubles in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. But the Sooners responded immediately, which became a trend all day.

With runners on first and second in the bottom of the inning, Tyler Ogle drove in the Sooners first run with an RBI single to cut the lead in half. Cody Reine followed with a three-run home run to give OU its first lead of the game 4-2.

The Cavaliers tied the game in the top of the third, when Grovett and Steven Proscia hit back-to-back sacrifice flies. But once again, the Sooners answered. In the bottom of the third, Caleb Bushyhead started the scoring with an RBI single to retake the lead. Danny Black followed with a sacrifice fly stretch the lead to two.

Reine delivered his second homer of the game in the fifth inning, driving in two more runs to extend the lead to 10-6. Virginia’s Phil Gosselin launched a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth to cut the lead back to one, but OU answered in the bottom of the inning yet again.

Max White hit the Sooners’ third homer of the game, driving in two important insurance runs. Jeremy Erben then entered in the seventh inning and shut down the Cavaliers from there. In 2.2 innings of work, he allowed only one base runner and earned a save.

Jack Mayfield was credited with the win after giving up three runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of work. Robert Morey struggled through two innings of work, surrendering six earned runs on only three hits.

The win comes after OU lost the first game of the series Saturday. The teams will now face off in a rubber match at 6 p.m. Monday to decide which advances. If the Sooners can win the decisive final game, it will mark the first time they have advanced to the College World Series since 1995.