Sunday College Baseball Roundup

Cowboys Win Tourney Finale

ARLINGTON, Texas – Oklahoma State capped off the 2014 season opening weekend with a 4-3 win over UT Arlington Sunday in the UTA/Hilton Invitational at Clay Gould Ballpark.

Sunday's victory marked 18th-ranked OSU's second come-from-behind win of the tourney and also secured the Cowboys' first 3-0 start to a season since 2011. Saulyer Saxon led the Pokes with a pair of RBIs, while Jon Perrin earned the win in relief and Brendan McCurry picked up his second save of the year.

Tyler Nurdin started on the mound for the Cowboys, but UTA (0-3) took an early 1-0 lead against the southpaw on an RBI single by All-American Matt Shortall in the bottom of the first inning.

OSU quickly answered in the top of the second. Zach Fish led off the inning with a walk, and after stealing second, he came home to tie the score at 1-1 on an RBI single by Gage Green.

That score did not hold for long as the Mavericks plated an unearned run in the bottom of the frame when Darien McLemore, who had walked and taken second on an error, scored the go-ahead run on Peter Cuomo's single.

In the fourth, it was Saxon coming up big and giving OSU its first lead. Tanner Krietemeier and Fish opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice bunt and error loaded the bases. Saxon then stepped to the plate and singled up the middle to put the Cowboys on top, 3-2.

OSU added a key insurance run in the seventh compliments of freshman Dustin Williams. With Saxon on third, Williams stepped up for just his second-career at bat and delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to give the Cowboys a 4-2 cushion.

UTA managed a run in the bottom of the seventh against Perrin, who came on in relief of Nurdin to start the fifth, but the junior righty stranded the tying run on third with an inning-ending strikeout.

Clinging to the 4-3 lead, the Cowboys turned to McCurry in the eighth, and the OSU closer slammed the door on the Mavericks, retiring six straight to earn the 10th save of his career. That total is tied for sixth on the program's all-time list.

OSU returns to action Tuesday at 4 p.m. when the Cowboys host Alcorn State in their '14 opener at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

Sooners' Offense Erupts Against Seton Hall

NORMAN, Okla. – Eighteen hits from the Sooner offense led the way for a 15-6 win for the University of Oklahoma baseball team over Seton Hall on Sunday afternoon. The Sooners improved to 2-1 on the young season in front of a crowd of 1,245. The Pirates dropped to 1-2 with the loss.

Oklahoma poured in four runs in the first inning as the table was set by back-to-back singles from sophomore center fielder Craig Aikin (Coppell, Texas) and sophomore left fielder Hunter Haley (Nacogdoches, Texas). Freshman DH Niko Buentello (Lewisville, Texas) drove in the game's first run with a double to right-center. Sophomore first baseman Anthony Hermelyn (McKinney, Texas) knocked in Haley with a sacrifice fly and was followed by RBI singles from senior second baseman Hector Lorenzana (San Diego, Calif.) and junior catcher Mac James (New Braunfels, Texas).

James finished the day 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Haley went 2-for-4 with two runs and hit a three-run home run the opposite way to left field in the third inning. Lorenzana also had a big day at the plate going 3-for-5, while crossing the plate three times.

The Sooners continued to put up crooked numbers with three in the fourth, two in the fifth, four in the sixth and two more in the eighth and final inning. The game was cut short after the eighth due to a 4:15 travel curfew due to Seton Hall's flight back to New Jersey.

Freshman righty Jake Elliott (Coppell, Texas) earned the win in his first career start by going five innings. He allowed just two hits, but walked four en route to allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out three. For the Pirates, right-hander Luke Cahill lasted just 3.1 innings in the loss as he was credited with six runs on seven hits and two walks.

To go with James' four-hit day, the bottom of the OU order combined to hit 8-for-10 as redshirt-junior right fielder Taylor Alspaugh (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and sophomore third baseman Kolbey Carpenter (Waco, Texas) each went 2-for-3. Alspaugh drove in three runs, including two on a base hit to left-center in the seventh, and scored once, while Carpenter knocked in a pair.

Seton Hall collected eight hits as a whole; led by third baseman Kyle Grimm, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Shortstop D.J. Ruhlman added a 2-for-4, one-run, one-RBI day.

The Pirates committed four errors to the Sooners two. Lorenzana made a tremendous defensive play to end the top of the seventh as he went back into right field and stretched to make the catch over his left shoulder.

Oklahoma remains at home for a pair of mid-week games as it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch for both games is set for 3 p.m.

Balanced offense leads ORU to first victory, 6-2

TULSA – A balanced offense was key on Sunday afternoon as Oral Roberts University avoided a sweep and defeated Southeast Missouri State, 6-2, in the series finale at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

It was the first victory of the season for ORU as the Golden Eagles improved their record to 1-2, while the Redhawks fell to 2-1.

Each of the first six batters in the Golden Eagle lineup reached base safely with a hit, led by Emmanuel Forcier, Joey Migliaccio, Jose Trevino and Anthony Sequeira with two hits each, while Matt Brandy and Logan Domenico each added one.

Senior Gavin Glanz (1-0) had a good showing in his first start of the season as he earned the win with five and two-thirds innings pitched, four strikeouts and two runs allowed. Glanz allowed just three hits, including a span of 14 straight batters without a hit after he allowed a single in the opening at bat of the game.

Colin Hightower relieved Glanz and allowed just two hits in an inning and a third, while Hayden Holley and Jordan Romano had identical lines of no hits and a strikeout in an inning each. It was Hightower and Romano's debut in a Golden Eagle uniform.

Preseason All-American Jason Blum and Cole Ferguson led the SEMO offense with a hit and a run each, and Ryan Lenaburg (0-1) took the loss on the mound with three runs on five hits in four innings pitched.

Blum helped the REdhawks start the game off on the right foot with a single to lead off the contest. After he swiped second and moved to third on a Cole Bieser sacrifice, Blum scored on a sac fly off the bat of Matt Tellor.

However, the Golden Eagles quickly answered in the bottom half of the first. Forcier started the action with a single to left and moved into scoring position two batters later on a balk. Brandy made the Redhawks pay for the mistake with a single to right to plate Forcier.

Sequiera followed Brandy's single with a single of his own before Logan Domenico drew a walk, the first of three he drew on the afternoon, to load the bases. After a 10-plus pitch at bat, Brandon Healy drew a walk to push in Brandy to give the Golden Eagles an early 2-1 lead.

The Golden Eagles got the leadoff hitter on base again in the second as Lenaburg threw a pitch that caught the jersey of Derrian James. Forcier moved James to second with a sacrifice bunt, and two batters later, James scored on a bad throw to first by the SEMO second baseman on a routine groundball off the bat of Trevino.

With ORU leading 3-1 heading into the top of the sixth, the Redhawks cut into the lead with a single up the middle by Scott Mitchell to drive in Tellor. However, just like in the first, the Golden Eagles answered.

With one out and a speedy Forcier standing on first base, Migliaccio pulled a pitch into the right field corner that allowed Forcier to score from first. The next batter, Trevino, picked up his second hit of the afternoon through the right side to drive in Migliaccio and extend the Golden Eagle lead to 5-2.

ORU added its final run of the afternoon with two outs in the eighth as Sequeira singled to right to drive in Trevino from second base.

The Golden Eagles will hit the road for the first time on Friday as they head to Lubbock, Texas, to face Big 12 member Texas Tech.