Sooners Claim Opener in Extras

Friday, May 14

Norman, OK / L. Dale Mitchell Park

6:30 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

31-12, 0

Oklahoma

25-23, 0

Texas Tech

Oklahoma

May 15, 2021 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

No. 7 Red Raiders will look to even the series against the Sooners on Saturday at 2 p.m.

By: Ty Parker

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10^th to claim a 9-8 victory over No. 7 Texas Tech baseball in the opener of a three-game series Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners (25-23; 9-10) scored three of their nine runs on balls that reached the backstop, including the game-winner, to hand the Red Raiders (31-12; 10-9) a disappointing loss just nine days after Tech defeated OU, 14-4, in Amarillo.

Tech went yard four times in the May 4 midweek matchup with the Sooners and homered four times once again on Friday, including a grand slam from Cody Masters in the first inning to help Tech cash in on the only free passes OU pitching allowed on the night.

Oklahoma, however, answered with a five-run fourth, capped by a three-run blast from Jimmy Crooks that gave OU a 6-5 lead. The Sooners would then score each of their final three runs on wild pitches, getting one in the fifth to make it 7-5, one in the seventh to go up 8-7, and the game-winner in the 10^th.

Jace Jung, Cole Stilwell and Cal Conley joined Masters in going yard for the Red Raiders, who fell to 23-2 this season when scoring at least six runs. Conley had the lone multi-hit game for the Red Raiders and scored a game-high three runs.

While Crooks supplied the loud home run for the Sooners, the bottom of the Oklahoma order ignited the rally in the fourth and proved to be the difference. Jace Bohrofen, Brandon Zaragoza and Justin Mitchell combined to go 7-for-13 at the plate and scored six of the Sooner's nine runs.

Ryan Sublette (6-2) received the loss for the Red Raiders despite another impressive outing as he struck out a career-high seven in 3.0 innings of relief. The lone hit he allowed found the gap to lead off the 10^th and ended up as a triple. Patrick Monteverde gave Tech 4.1 innings in his start, and was effective outside of the five-run fourth when the Sooners used a pair of infield hits to get things rolling before the Crooks dinger.

For Oklahoma, Wyatt Olds (4-5) earned the win, striking out six in 3.0 innings with his only blemish coming on a solo home run from Conley to tie the game at 8-8 in the eighth. Wyatt and Luke Taggart combined for nine strikeouts over the last four innings. In his first start of the season, Jason Ruffcorn added nine strikeouts as he tossed 125 pitches for the Sooners over 6.0 frames.

Jung went yard in the third with his Big 12-leading 17^th home run of the season to bump Tech's lead back to four at 5-1. After the Sooners had taken a 7-5 lead, Stilwell's two-run shot pulled Tech even in the sixth. Conley's solo blast in the eighth did the same after Oklahoma took an 8-7 lead in the seventh.

UP NEXT
The Red Raiders will look to even the series Saturday at 2 p.m. on Bally Sports OK. Tech will have right-hander Micah Dallas (2-2, 3.30) on the mound against Oklahoma left-hander Braden Carmichael (6-1, 3.88).

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