Sooners Obliterate UAPB in Near-Historic Fashion

Originally Published: Mar 30, 2010 11:22 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma – One game after being run-ruled for the first time this season by Nebraska, the No. 9 Oklahoma baseball team returned the favor against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a 26-3 rout Tuesday.

UAPB (3-13) took a quick lead with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, but that advantage did not last long. The Sooners (21-3) blew the game open with a monstrous – and very strange – second inning.

First baseman Cameron Seitzer led off the inning with a triple off the wall in center field, and Casey Johnson was hit by a pitch to give OU runners on first and third with nobody out. That’s when things got weird.

On the third pitch to Drew Harrison, UAPB pitcher Gregory Daiville was called for a balk. However, he continued with his throwing motion and ended up hitting Harrison with the pitch. The umpires ruled that the balk nullified the pitch, bringing Seitzer in to score the Sooners’ first run but keeping Harrison at the plate.

OU head coach Sunny Golloway came out of the dugout to argue the call, and continued to talk to the umpires for several minutes. After the umpires gathered for a separate lengthy discussion, they reversed their ruling. Harrison was granted first base on the hit by pitch, while Seitzer was pulled out of the dugout and back to third base, taking a run off the board but loading the bases.

It was a risky move by Golloway to advocate taking a run away from his own team, but it paid off. The next batter – catcher Tyler Ogle – cleared the bases with a grand slam to give the Sooners a 4-2 lead. It was Ogle’s second home run of the season, and both of them were grand slams. But the oddities of the second inning were just getting started.

Still with nobody out, Danny Black connected on a single. Chris Ellison followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt, but was able to safely reach base when UAPB catcher Barry McDonley threw wide of second base.

With runners now on first and second, Caleb Bushyhead laid down another sacrifice bunt. He outran the throw to first for a single, while the throw sailed over the first baseman’s head. The ball rolled all the way into the right-field corner, and all three runners – including Bushyhead – circled the bases and scored to stretch the lead to 7-2. The play was scored a single and a three-run error, meaning nobody was credited with the RBIs.

OU batted around, and Seitzer hit a two-run home run in his second at-bat to give the Sooners a 9-2 advantage. It also gave Seitzer the most difficult two legs of the cycle in one inning. Danny Black finished the second-inning scoring with an RBI single, giving the Sooners 10 runs in the frame, the most they have scored in any inning this season.

Harrison connected on an RBI single in the third, and the Golden Lions responded with their second home run of the night, this time a solo shot by Christian Matz. That made the score 11-3, and the Sooners were not done yet.

OU added at least four runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, with Cale Ellis adding the Sooners’ second grand slam of the game in the sixth inning. Seitzer also continued his strong play, recording a single in the fifth and double in the seventh, completing the cycle.

The Sooners missed breaking a school record for the most runs in a game, which still stands at 33. Ellis finished with seven RBIs, two shy of a school record, and Seitzer scored five runs, which ties a school record.

The Sooners have now won 16 of their last 18 games and continue their strongest start to a season since Golloway took over as coach. OU and UAPB will play again at 7 p.m. Wednesday.