Sunday College Baseball Roundup: Sooners, Golden Eagles Win, Cowboys Fall

Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla.—Junior lefthander Ethan Carnes allowed a three-run first inning, but rebounded for a seven-inning complete game in Oklahoma 14-3 run-rule victory over New Orleans Sunday.

Carnes (2-1) made just his second start of the season to pick up the win in a career-long stint. After a four-hit, three-run first, Carnes allowed just two hits and struck out five of his final 20 batters faced.

After head coach Sunny Golloway shuffled the batting order for Friday's opener, the Sooners responded with 14 hits Sunday to total 46 in 102 at-bats (.451) for the series sweep.

Former clean-up hitter Matt Oberste was 3-for-4 with a home run as the leadoff batter Sunday, knocking two RBIs and scoring three runs to lead the Sooner offense.

Oklahoma travels to Arkansas, ranked as high as 10th in polls, for a Tuesday night contest in Fayetteville.

Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State could not complete its first Big 12 Conference series sweep of the season Sunday as Kansas State defeated the Cowboys, 3-2, at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 27-11 overall and 7-7 in conference play.

OSU managed just six hits in the contest, two of those by Robbie Rea, and Tyler Nurdin suffered the loss on the mound to fall to 0-2.

Kansas State (28-13, 7-5), which leads the nation in hitting, got a home run from Jared King in the sixth inning that proved to be the winning run.

The Wildcats took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, with Blair DeBord and Austin Fisher collecting back-to-back RBI singles off Nurdin.

OSU answered with a run in the bottom of the first when Saulyer Saxon, who was hit by a pitch to open the frame, scored on a fielder's choice RBI from Tanner Krietemeier.

The Cowboys would tie the score in the fourth as Rea blasted a solo home run to left field to make it 2-2. The homer was the senior's third of the series and fifth of the season.

In the fifth, OSU squandered a golden scoring opportunity. Gage Green led off the inning with a triple but two batters later was thrown out at the plate after a ground ball to first base.

After keeping K-State off the scoreboard for four consecutive innings, Nurdin surrendered a leadoff home run to King to open the sixth, a shot that provided the final 3-2 margin.

The Cowboys were poised to score again in the sixth after Victor Romero delivered a leadoff double, but the OSU catcher was stranded on second after Jake Matthys retired the next three hitters.

Matthys allowed just two hits over the final 4.1 innings to improve to 6-0 on the season. In the ninth, the right-hander surrendered a leadoff single to Rea, but the Cowboys stranded pinch runner Jarrett Higgins on second base when Green struck out to end the game.

The Cowboys return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when they host Wichita State at 6:30 p.m.

Oral Roberts

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The brooms went back into the closet for the Oral Roberts baseball team on Sunday as the Golden Eagles fell to Sam Houston State, 6-4.

Nate Goro finished the afternoon with three hits to lead the Golden Eagles, while Tyler Boss finished with three singles. Tim Zufall took the loss on the mound, his first of the season. He allowed six runs on six hits in four innings.

Trailing the Bearkats 2-0 after the first inning, the Golden Eagles quickly knotted the game at two runs apiece in the top of the second.

Tyler Boss started the second inning with a walk and advanced to second as Nate Goro singled to left. Both runners moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt by Chris Williams, setting up a sacrifice fly into deep right off Brandon Healy's bat to score Boss, his sixth RBI of the season.

Austen Colt followed with a single into center to score Goro from third to tie the game.

Following a quick bottom of the inning, including a pair of strikeouts from Tim Zufall, the Golden Eagles took the lead for the first time in the top of the third. Boss scored the third run of the afternoon for ORU as Goro doubled over the third base bag, making the score 3-2.

The Bearkats regained the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth on two hits and an ORU error. Carter Burgess scored the first run of the inning as Greg Olson reached on a misplayed grounder for the ORU error. Jessie Plumlee followed ripped a double into the left field corner to score Ryan O'Hearn and Olson from first.

Hayden Simerly added the sixth run of the afternoon for the Bearkats with a leadoff homerun in the sixth inning. It was Simerly's third RBI of the afternoon as he plated both Colt Atwood and Anthony Azar in the first with a single.

In the top of the ninth, the Golden Eagles gave one final push in the top of the ninth. Matt Brandy drew a one-out walk just before Logan Domenico stepped in a doubled to left-center to cut the lead to 6-4. ORU left two runners on base as the game came to an end. The Golden Eagles ultimately left seven runners on base.

The Golden Eagles was patient at the plate during the series, and that trend continued on Sunday as ORU drew six walks in the game, include two each from Cho, Brandy and Trevino.

On Friday, ORU is set to host Nicholls State in a crucial conference series at J.L. Johnson Stadium.