OU Baseball: Late Homer Sinks Sooners

A two-run home run in the seventh was the difference as the No. 23 Oklahoma baseball team lost at West Virginia, 6-5, in front of 2,871 at Monongalia County Ballpark, Saturday afternoon. The loss dropped the Sooners to 25-16 overall and 9-5 in the Big 12, while the Mountaineers improved to 22-14 and 5-6.

Trailing 5-3, West Virginia rallied for three runs in the seventh capped off by a two-run homer to center field off the bat of first baseman Jackson Cramer. The inning started with a lead-off single to right by catcher Cam O'Brien. He went to second on a passed ball and scored on a double past third by third baseman Justin Fox to cut the OU lead to one. After two fly ball outs and a pitching change to force a match-up of left-handers, Cramer smashed what would stand up as the game-winner on a 3-2 pitch.

Oklahoma got the scoring started for the game in the top of the first. Junior left fielder Kolbey Carpenter doubled down the right field line and scored on a two-out double by junior catcher Anthony Hermelyn. The Sooners tallied two more runs as sophomore shortstop Sheldon Neuse blasted a two-run home run to left-center.

The Mountaineers got a run back on Sooner sophomore right-hander Alec Hansen in the first and another in the second to cut the lead to one. In the fourth, a lead-off single and a balk led to the game-tying, RBI-double from designated hitter Shaun Corso.

Hansen was pulled after just 3.1 innings of work. He gave up three runs on six hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts. Junior RHP Keaton Hernandez was the first reliever out of the OU bullpen. He ended the West Virginia threat in the fourth with one pitch to get two outs on a 4-6-3 groundball-double play.

Freshman second baseman Kyle Mendenhall opened the fifth with a base hit to center and went to third on Carpenter's second double of the day. Senior third baseman Joshua Ake put Oklahoma back out in front with a base hit up the middle and a fielder's choice from junior center fielder Craig Aikin increased the Sooner lead to 5-3.

Hernandez totaled 3.1 innings of relief and after one run was across in the bottom of the seventh was pulled with two gone and one on. Junior lefty Shawn Hunter entered for the Sooners and took the loss, dropping to 0-2, after allowing the home run to Cramer.

Oklahoma attempted to rally in the top of the ninth as junior Hunter Haley, who had entered to play left in the eighth, led off with a single to left field. A sacrifice-bunt from redshirt-senior right fielder Taylor Alspaugh put Haley in scoring position and a hit-by-pitch to redshirt-senior pinch-hitter Robert Tasin gave the Sooners two on with one out. After a strikeout, Carpenter ripped a line drive rigt at third and the game was over as right-hander Blake Smith worked 1.2 inning to earn his third save.

Left-hander Ross Vance (6-2) went 7.1 innings to earn the win for the Mountaineers. He was tagged for five runs on 10 hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Cramer posted the only multi-hit game for WVU as he went 2-for-4.

The rubber-match of the series is slated for 11:00 am CT on Sunday. Tasin goes to the mound for the Sooners.

Notes:

· The Sooners used their 26th lineup of the season with an infield that had yet to play an inning together all season.

· Joshua Ake made his first career appearance in the two-hole.

· Sheldon Neuse's first-inning home run was his sixth of the season, first in the five-hole and first since March 8 against Purdue.

· Oklahoma turned two double plays to lift its season total to 43.

· Kolbey Carpenter notched his 16th multi-hit game of the season with his first career two-double game.

· Keaton Hernandez recorded seven groundball-outs on the first six batters he faced on just 13 pitches.

· The loss was just the second of the year for the Sooners when leading after six innings. They are 19-2 when leading after six.

· Oklahoma played error-free baseball for the 16th time this season.

· Anthony Hermelyn recorded his team-leading 18th multi-hit game of the season.

· Ralph Garza Jr. made his team-leading 19th relief appearance of the season.