ORU SPLITS FOUR WITH ST. THOMAS
Oral Roberts played a four game weekend series with St. Thomas, instead of the standard three games, because the two teams decided to play a doubleheader on Friday to make up a game that was rained out when the Golden Eagles visited St. Thomas in March. The teams split the doubleheader.
Rain on Saturday, then forced a second doubleheader to be played on Sunday, and the two teams split that doubleheader, as well.
In game one on Friday, it was all Tommies from the get-go as they loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning and scored one run off ORU starter Easton Teel.
St. Thomas went on to score in the next two innings as well, with one in the second and three in the third, while ORU answered with a single run in the bottom of the second inning. The Tommies had a 5-1 lead after three innings.
St. Thomas then scored runs in each of the final four innings to pull away and take an 11-1 victory.
ORU was the designated visiting team for game two, the makeup game. In this game, the story was the complete opposite as Oral Roberts got going early and never let up. ORU put two runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning with a walk from Makani Tanaka driving in a run and a ground out from Keaton Campbell to make it 2-0.
ORU scored two runs in the third and four in the fifth and had a commanding 8-1 lead after five innings. The Golden Eagles cruised to a 13-2 win.
On Sunday, St. Thomas took the first game of the DH with a 3-1 win, and ORU bounced back in the second game, getting past the Tommies, 2-1.
OU LOSES TWO AT GEORGIA
No. 14 Oklahoma took game one of the series at No. 10 Georgia by a final of 8-6 Thursday evening, in Athens, Ga.
Oklahoma starting pitcher Kyson Witherspoon was exceptional in the win, going seven innings, allowing only one run and scattering five hits to go with eight strikeouts to two walks. Witherspoon improved to 8-2 on the season.
Witherspoon made only one mistake in the game, surrendering just his fourth homer of the season in the third inning to fellow USA Collegiate National Team member and UGA designated hitter Tre Phelps. The solo shot proved to be the only run surrendered by the OU righty.
At the plate, Dayton Tockey had a career day for the Sooners, going 4-for-4 with two home runs and five runs batted in, before leaving the game in the eighth inning due to an injury sustained sliding into second base.
On Friday, Georgia jumped out to a 9-2 lead after five innings, and OU attempted a comeback that fell just short, as the Bulldogs took game two of the series 10-9.
The Sooners broke through in the top of the fifth inning, plating a pair of runs. Then OU outscored the Bulldogs, 7-4 the rest of the way.
Georgia defeated OU on Saturday, 6-3.
Oklahoma (30-13, 11-10 SEC) jumped out to a two-run lead in the second inning on a two-run double from Georgia native Scott Mudler but the Sooners couldn’t hold down the powerful Bulldog offense. The Bulldogs (35-11, 12-9 SEC) hit four home runs enroute to the victory to take the conference series.
Mudler finished the game with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in for the Sooners.
OU will host Ole Miss in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
OSU DROPS TWO OF THREE AT CINCY
Cincinnati won the first two games of the series, 4-0 and 11-4, before OSU turned in a great game on Sunday for an 8-1 victory, at UC Baseball Stadium in Cincinnati.
OSU and Cincinnati opened the series on Friday night, but the game was suspended in the third inning, due to rain. There was no score in the ballgame at the time of the stoppage. In the resumption of the game on Saturday, Cincinnati shut out the Cowboys, 4-0, in a pitcher’s duel.
The Bearcats took the lead on a two-out, two-RBI single in the third off the bat of leading hitter Kerrington Cross.
OSU threatened in the fourth inning when the Cowboys loaded the bases with one out on three walks, but Ian Daugherty flew out to right field and Nolan Schubart was tagged out at the plate trying to score as the double play ended the inning.
OSU’s Mario Pesca turned in a strong performance on the mound in a losing effort as he fell to 3-2 on the season.
In the second game on Saturday, Cincinnati outhit the Cowboys by a 17-4 margin and won the game 11-4.
OSU took the lead in its first at bat, going up 1-0 on a sacrifice fly by Colin Brueggemann in the first inning. The Bearcats answered in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs on five hits to take a 4-1 advantage.
An RBI double by the Cowboys’ Beau Sylvester in the second cut the Cincinnati lead in half, but UC got the run back in the bottom of the frame to make the score 5-2.
The Bearcats scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal the victory.
On Sunday, OSU got a strong pitching performance from Sean Youngerman, and Schubart had a big day at the plate as the Cowboys won the finale, 8-1.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 19-21 overall and 7-11 in Big 12 play, while UC is now 24-20 and 10-11 Big 12.
Schubart went 3-for-6 in the game with a home run and three runs batted in, while Brayden Smith also had three hits and drove in a run.
OSU will host UCF in a three-game series beginning Friday evening at 6:00 p.m.