Sooners baseball drops series to Texas in controversial ending
It was a no-good rotten day at the yard for Sooners baseball. And a marathon at that.
Texas hit six home runs in the second game of the double-header, tying a program record for home runs in a game, to win the series with a 12-10 win in seven innings.
A frustrating day for Oklahoma (26-16, 16-6), who dropped the twin bill after seeing its nine-game winning streak snapped in the first game of the double-header. And the second game being called by the Big 12 after an hour and twenty-eight-minute rain delay that approached 10 p.m.
HORNS LONG BALL THE DIFFERENCE
Grant Stevens’ first-career start against the Horns won’t be one he’d like to remember. Peyton Powell opened the offensive outburst in the top of the first with a two run-shot. Will Gasparino and Casey Borba added two-run blasts in the second and third inning to extend the Texas lead to 6-1.
Then the Oklahoma offense woke up.
Anthony Mackenzie drew a two-out walk to keep the home half of the third alive. Jackson Nicklaus followed with a triple that scored Mackenzie. Kendall Pettis slapped an RBI single into right that scored Nicklaus.
And Jaxon Willits delivered the big blow of the inning sending an opposite field two-run home run over the left field wall. His second home run of the weekend – and seventh over the last three weeks – the highlight of a four-run home half of the third.
Much like Oklahoma in the opener on Friday, it was Texas that had the answer to every Sooners rally Sunday. And unfortunately for Sooners fans, those responses continued in the form of two-run home runs.
Max Belyeu turned around a Brendan Girton pitch in the fifth to extend the lead back to three runs. Rylan Galvan added a two-run shot one inning later as part of a three run-sixth. Texas led 11-7.
After a two-out RBI single from Anthony Mackenzie got a run back in the sixth, Max Belyeu added a solo home run – his second of the day – to extend the lead back to 12-8.
A Jason Walk sacrifice fly was followed by a John Spikerman RBI single after the seventh inning stretch to cut the deficit to two runs, 12-10. Then things got weird.
EXPLAINING THE ENDING
There’s going to be plenty of questions about how this one ended. The game officially went into a weather delay at 8:37 p.m. because of lightning in the area. Teams returned to the field about an hour later with the expectation to pick the game up where it was left off. Top of the eighth with a Texas runner at first and one strike on the batter Peyton Powell. Stranger things have happened. A curious ending to call the game given the storms were moving out of the area and Oklahoma still had six outs to play with.
“It’s an unfortunate way for the series to end that way between two competitive baseball teams fighting for the top of the conference. It’s never what you want — to have a game not decided on the field,” said Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson.
