No. 23 Sooners Take Down Alcorn State

The No. 23 University of Oklahoma baseball team picked up a 9-4 non-conference win over Alcorn State at L. Dale Mitchell Park, Tuesday evening. <br/>

Tuesday, April 21st 2015, 11:03 pm

By: News 9


The No. 23 University of Oklahoma baseball team picked up a 9-4 non-conference win over Alcorn State at L. Dale Mitchell Park, Tuesday evening. The win propelled the Sooners to 27-16 overall on the season.

“I know what the numbers say, but when you have not seen something there is some adjusting that has to go on,” head coach Pete Hughes said of the Alcorn starter throwing in the low 70s. “I thought [our hitters] did a good job with that. I thought we did a job squaring up with balls that were caught. I think we got enough hits and were productive enough with that style that it took some discipline."

The scoring started in the third as junior catcher Chris Shaw got the first run of the game on a single down the right field line by redshirt-senior right fielder Taylor Alspaugh. A second run would later come in as junior second baseman Kolbey Carpenter, who picked up his first of three singles, brought the score to 2-0 with run off of base hit by junior first baseman Anthony Hermelyn.

Retaliating, Alcorn State put its name on the board with a double to right-center by designated hitter Jordan Boston that chased hom Collin Carroll, who registered the first Brave hit of the night with two outs in the top of the fourth.

The home half started with a lead-off single to center by junior left fielder Hunter Haley. He matched a career-high by stealing both second and third to get in place for a run on a sacrifice-fly by freshman third baseman Quin Walbergh. The Sooners stretched their lead to 4-1 as Alspaugh lined his second RBI-single of the game to plate Shaw.

After a fast for both teams that led to a three-run OU lead, the Braves started to shrink the deficit in the sixth, beginning with second baseman LaDerrick Williams at the bottom of the lineup. He singled to right, stole second, advanced on a balk and scored on a base hit by center fielder Earl Burl III. Junior right-hander Corey Copping was lifted in favor of fellow junior righty Keaton Hernandez. After a stolen base and an error, Burl made it all the way around to home; scoring on an infield-single by right fielder Scott Peavey. Hernandez worked around an error to strand a pair of runners and end the Alcorn threat.

Copping (4-0) went five-plus innings to earn the win in his first start since missing two and a half weeks due to appendicitis. He allowed three runs on four hits and no walks, while striking out four.

“I was happy with it,” Hughes said of Copping's performance. “We wanted to stretch him out so he could start building up stamina. We had 80 in our heads, before the game, to get him there. The ball was coming out of his hand really well; especially early on. In the last inning and a half, it was not coming quite as well and he was up in the zone. But his secondary stuff was good. He threw enough strikes for me and I liked the velo.”

Looking to increase the lead, the Sooner offense went back to work in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore DH Austin O'Brien walked and Walbergh singled to put two on with one out. A double steal put both in scoring position and Alspaugh brought them both in with a single through the left side for his third and fourth RBI of the game. Gathering momentum, junior center fielder Craig Aikin cracked a ball down the right line for a triple that scored Alspaugh and push the lead to 7-3.

After Alcorn State cut the lead back to four in the eighth, junior right-hander Ralph Garza Jr. came on with the tying run on deck and closed the door with a runner picked off third by Hermelyn, who had moved to catcher in the sixth, and a groundout. Garza stayed on to pitch the ninth and earn his first save of the season as he struck out a pair.

Alspaugh finished the night 3-for-5 with four RBI; matching a career-high. Carpenter went 3-for-5 and has registered four-straight multi-hit games and back-to-back three-hit games.

For the Braves, lefty Jonathan Morales (0-4) surrendered seven runs, five earned, on 10 hits and three walks in six innings of work. At the plate, Alcorn State was led by Boston's 2-for-4, two-RBI performance.

The Sooners and Braves are scheduled to play again Wednesday night at 6:00 pm. Redshirt-junior left-hander Adam Choplick will toe the rubber for Oklahoma.

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