OU Takes Advantage of Mistakes to Crush Kansas

The Sooners put up 12 runs, but only six of them were earned.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:23 pm

By: News On 6

OU Takes Advantage of Mistakes to Crush Kansas

Originally Published: May 6, 2011 10:7 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Okla. – The Oklahoma baseball team lit up the scoreboard Friday and took advantage of four errors in a 12-1 blowout of Kansas.

Kansas actually started the game’s scoring with a run in the top of the first on a solo home run by Jimmy Waters. But it was all Sooners from there.

They tied the game in the second inning when Tyler Ogle scored on an error, and that began a trend of Kansas defensive mistakes. OU scored in each of the next three innings, starting with a four-run explosion in the third.

The first two OU batters of the third inning hit into outs, but two straight singles put a runner in scoring position. A ground ball by the next batter should have ended the inning, but a throwing error allowed one run to score and kept two other runners on base. Cameron Seitzer drove both of them home with a home run that put OU up 5-1.

The Sooners plated another run in the fourth and three more in the fifth, and the blowout was on. They continued to pile on with two runs in the seventh – one of which was unearned – and finished the scoring with a final run in the eighth. They ended up with 12 runs, with six of them being unearned.

Meanwhile, Michael Rocha turned in another strong pitching performance. After allowing the home run in the first inning, he settled down and held Kansas scoreless on only five more hits. Drew Harrison pitched the final two innings and allowed only one hit.

Oklahoma now has won three straight games and scored in double figures for the first time since April 12. OU and Kansas will face off again at 2 p.m. Saturday in Norman.