Sunday College Baseball Roundup

Baseball Claims Road Series at Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – The Oklahoma baseball team pulled out a series win at No. 25 Texas with a 3-2 victory in front of 5,506 at Disch-Falk Field, Sunday afternoon. The Sooners, who claimed their second straight road series over the Longhorns after not taking one since 1997, improved to 24-14 overall and 8-4 in the Big 12.

“It was an important weekend for us to build toughness in our program and what better way to do it than on the road in an environment like this,” coach Pete Hughes said. “I'm proud of our guys and the character and resiliency they built this week. Today was an important road-win as far as character-building for our program. Our pitching staff did a great job, our bullpen was great and we got some key hits in pressure situations, which is always the sign of a tough team.”

Oklahoma pieced together a quality win with a run in the second, fourth and sixth. Redshirt-senior right-hander Robert Tasin improved to 6-1 on the season with six-strong innings of work. He scattered nine hits and two walks, while striking out four and allowing only one run. Junior left-hander Jacob Evans pitched all three innings of relief to lock down his fourth save of the season and second of the weekend, including a 1-2-3 ninth; highlighted by a looking strikeout to end the game.

“Tasin always gives you a chance to win because he's a strike-thrower and he's a fifth-year senior, who trusts his stuff,” Hughes said of OU's starting pitcher. “He's not afraid of contact and those are the kinds of guys who pitch out of jams.”

For the game, Tasin stranded nine runners on base, leaving two or more on in four separate innings.

Sophomore shortstop Sheldon Neuse and Tasin lined back-to-back singles to start the second and were sacrificed into scoring position by sophomore first baseman Austin O'Brien. A walk to junior left fielder Hunter Haley loaded the bases and a walk to junior Kolbey Carpenter brought in the first run of the day.

Texas (19-17, 6-6) tied the game in the bottom half of the second. Catcher Michael Cantu started the inning off with a single to right and was followed by base knocks from third baseman Bret Boswell and first baseman Tres Barrera to load the bases with nobody out. Designated hitter C.J. Hinojosa drove in Cantu with a high sacrifice-fly to left and Tasin got out of the inning without further damage by striking out one and inducing a pop fly in foul territory.

Haley drew a lead-off walk to open the fourth and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice-bunt by senior third baseman Joshua Ake. Haley came around to score on a base hit up the middle off the bat of Carpenter. The Sooners added a much-needed, insurance run in the sixth with a two-out rally. Ake singled to right and after Carpenter's second hit of the day scored from second on a base hit up the middle by redshirt-senior right fielder Taylor Alspaugh.

Evans took the hill for Oklahoma to start the seventh with a two-run lead. He put Texas down in order with a pair of strikeouts and a groundball to short. The Longhorns cut the lead to one and got the potential tying run to second after an RBI-double by right fielder Colin Shaw. Back out for the ninth, Evans sat down the top of the UT order on 10 pitches and ended the game with a called strike three to Ben Johnson.

Carpenter, Neuse and Tasin all finished the game with two hits for the Sooners. Neuse was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two walks, including his third intentional-walk of the weekend.

Right-hander Kyle Johnston lasted just 2.1 innings in the start for Texas. He allowed one run on two hits and four walks to go with two strikeouts. The loss went to right-hander Chad Hollingsworth (3-4), the first of seven Longhorn relievers used in the game. He gave up one run on three hits and two walks.

Four Texas players recorded two hits in the game. Cantu went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.

Each team had just one extra-base hit as Shaw doubled for the Longhorns and junior center fielder Craig Aikin lined a double to left-center in the ninth.

Oklahoma is back at home Tuesday night for a 6 p.m. non-conference game against Dallas Baptist at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Notes:

• Taylor Alspaugh notched a two-out, RBI-single in all three games of the series.

• Kolbey Carpenter drove in two runs to tie for the team-lead in multi-RBI games with seven. He also added his 15th multi-hit game of the season with a 2-for-4 effort.

• Each of the last eight games between Oklahoma and Texas in Austin has been decided by three runs or less.

• Oklahoma is 4-5 against ranked opponents this year with two wins against both No. 25 Texas and No. 10 Texas Tech.

• The Sooner starting pitchers have lasted six or more innings in 20 out of 38 starts this season.

• Oklahoma has won five out of its last seven games against Texas in Austin.

• The Sooners have now won back-to-back road series against the Longhorns. Before 2013, OU's only other series win in Austin came in 1997; the inaugural season of the Big 12.

• Oklahoma's last series win in conference play came against Kansas (3/28-30/14).

• The Sooners played error-free baseball for the second straight game. They have totaled 14 such games on the season.

Cowboys Drop Series At Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Oklahoma State had its program-record streak of Big 12 Conference series wins snapped Sunday as Kansas knocked off the ninth-ranked Cowboys, 4-2, at Hoglund Ballpark.

For the Cowboys, the series setback marks the first time since its 2014 series opener at Baylor that they have lost a conference series, a streak that spanned 10-straight series.

OSU is now 24-11 overall and tied with Oklahoma atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-4 league mark.

Similar to its loss to the Jayhawks on Saturday, OSU couldn't deliver the big hit with runners on as the Cowboys left eight runners stranded on the bases. The lone runs for head coach Josh Holliday's club came from a pair of solo home runs by Bryan Case.

“We didn't do the things in certain moments that you would have liked that could have made a difference,” Holliday said. “Give Kansas credit – they pitched good all weekend long. It's frustrating, but in the end we had our chances and didn't put together enough key moments to turn the board.

“Just too many empty at-bats inside of nine innings to mount a serious rally, and as a result, we end up on the wrong side of the board. We have to pack up our stuff, get ourselves collected, get our minds right and get ready for a challenging week that lies ahead.”

OSU would take the initial lead in Sunday's finale when Case led off the second inning with a blast over the wall in left field.

In the third, the Cowboys appeared poised to extend their lead as they put runners on the corners with one out following a single by Donnie Walton. Up next, Corey Hassel laid down a bunt that would have scored David Petrino from third base, but Hassel was called out for interference with the umpire ruling that he ran inside the first-base line.

With the runners not allowed to advance on the play, the run was erased, and a groundout by Gage Green ended the inning with the Cowboys still leading 1-0.

“After that call went against us on the bunt, we didn't really put back the offensive charge that I thought we were building,” Holliday said. “It would have been a two-run game there with a rally brewing – as it stood, the run came off the board with two outs, and we did not respond from that.”

After retiring the first nine KU hitters in order over the first three innings, OSU's Tyler Nurdin got into trouble in the fourth, surrendering a single and two walks to load the bases. That brought up Blair Beck, who delivered a two-RBI double to right-center field to put the Jayhawks up 2-1 and end Nurdin's day on the mound.

OSU left two runners stranded in both the sixth and seventh innings while the Jayhawks added to their lead in each of those frames, getting a solo home run from Dakota Smith in the sixth and an RBI single by Michael Tinsley in the seventh to push their lead to 4-1.

The Cowboys cut their deficit in half in the eighth on Case's second round tripper of the day, another solo blast to left field that gave him his first multi-homer game in an OSU uniform.

In the ninth, OSU twice brought the tying run to the plate after Dustin Williams singled to open the inning. But KU closer Stephen Villines struck out Kevin Bradley before getting pinch hitter Mason O'Brien to ground into a game-ending double play to earn his ninth save of the year.

Williams, Case and Walton finished with two hits apiece to lead OSU, which outhit KU by a 9-7 margin.

OSU returns to action Tuesday night when the Cowboys open a five-game homestand at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium against Oral Roberts.

Golden Eagles One-Hit Leathernecks in 5-0 Win

MACOMB, Ill. – A combined one-hitter from the Oral Roberts pitching staff helped the Golden Eagle baseball team shutout Western Illinois, 5-0 Sunday to complete the series sweep of the Leathernecks.

Tyler Buss (2-0), Jacob McDavid and Anthony Sequeira combined to allow just one hit and two walks as the Golden Eagles won their fifth straight Sunday. Buss was tabbed the winner – his second victory of the season – and allowed the only hit and two walks to the Leathernecks.

Buss also struck out six in 5.1 innings of work while McDavid struck out two and Sequeira needed just 14 pitches in the ninth to strike out all three batters he faced.

Derrian James continued his torrid pace with his third home run of the season and ninth hit of the series to finish 1-for-5.

Dean Wilson and Matt Brandy were the only Golden Eagles to have multiple hits as each player earned two each. ORU finished with eight hits in Sunday's finale after totaling 30 hits combined in the first two games of the series.

Brent Turner had the only hit of the day going 1-for-3 for Western Illinois, as starting pitcher Preston Church (1-6) was the tabbed loser.

Turning Point

Chase Stafford singled home Dean Wilson for his second RBI of the game in the fourth inning and gave ORU a 2-0 lead. Stafford's first RBI came on a bases loaded walk in the top of the second, which proved to be enough runs on a day where the Golden Eagle pitching staff was nearly unhittable.

Individual Leaders

Oral Roberts: Derrian James went 1-for-5 with a home run while Matt Brandy was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Starter Tyler Buss pitched 5.1 innings allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight to improve to 2-0.

Western Illinois: Brent Turner had the only hit for Western Illinois going 1-for-3.

Inside the Box Score

- The Golden Eagles have won five straight games and 14 of their last 15 games.

- The last time ORU one-hit their opponent came from Alex Gonzalez's complete game one-hitter against Western Illinois on April 21, 2012. Gonzalez threw seven innings, allowed one hit and two walks while striking out five.

- ORU outscored Western Illinois 34-1 during the three-game series.

- Derrian James continues his torrid pace in the middle of a seven-game hit streak. James was 9-for-15 during the weekend and 10-for-20 for the week with 11 RBI a home run and five doubles.

- The Golden Eagle pitching staff recorded 13 strikeouts combined. It was the second most this season behind 16 against North Dakota State on March 15.

Scoring Summary

- The Golden Eagles struck first in the top of the second inning, as Chase Strafford worked a bases loaded walk for his first RBI and first run of the game.

- Stafford picked up his second RBI in the fourth inning with an RBI single that scored Dean Wilson. Wilson reached one batter earlier on an error and moved into scoring position on a passed ball.

- ORU broke the game open in the top of the fifth when Derrian James led-off the inning with his third home run of the season. Audie Afenir tallied his only RBI on a sacrifice fly to right scoring Matt Brandy who followed the James homer with a double.

- Dean Wilson capped the game scoring with a RBI single to left in the eighth inning to put ORU up 5-0. Wilson scored Noah Cummings who led-off the inning with single.

Up Next

ORU continues its road swing Tuesday at 9th-ranked Oklahoma State. First pitch in Stillwater is scheduled for 6 p.m. from Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.