OU Baseball And Softball Pick Up Big 12 Road Wins

Sooners Defeat Jayhawks 2-1 in Weekend Opener

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The University of Oklahoma baseball team rallied for a run in the eighth and one in the ninth to steal a 2-1 win in the weekend opener at Kansas, Friday night. The Sooners improved to 19-8 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, while the Jayhawks fell to 17-9 and 2-2.

"Great win on the road," coach Pete Hughes said. "We've got a lot of things to build on. I loved seeing our freshman coming through in two pivotal plays. O'Brien takes a crucial walk and then Neuse with the game-winning RBI."

Sophomore center fielder Craig Aikin started the two-out rally in the eighth with a walk and moved to third on a base hit pounded through the right side by sophomore left fielder Hunter Haley. Freshman third baseman Sheldon Neuse then came through with a RBI single up the middle to put OU on top, 2-1.

Kansas scored the game's first run in the bottom of the seventh inning. With two outs, catcher Ka'iana Eldredge got the rally started with a base hit up the middle and scored on a double to the right field corner by third baseman Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez, the Jayhawk nine-hitter, went 2-for-3 on the night.

Oklahoma rallied to tie the game in the top of the eighth. Haley, who started the game in right field, was hit by a pitch and went first-to-third on a base hit to right by Neuse, who finished the game 2-for-4. After a walk loaded the bases, freshman DH Austin O'Brien battled back from a 0-2 count to draw a bases loaded walk and bring in the game-tying run.

Sophomore right-hander Ralph Garza Jr. picked up the win to lift his record to 4-0 on the season. He pitched 1.2 innings of no-hit ball, while walking a pair and striking out one. Right-hander Jordan Piche' (3-2) took the loss as he surrendered one run on two hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts over 1.2 innings.

In the start, sophomore right-hander Corey Copping pitched 4.1-shutout innings. He allowed two hits and three walks without a strikeout. For the Jayhawks, lefty Wes Benjamin was pulled due to an injury after giving up two hits and two walks in 2.2 innings, while striking out four.

Game two of the series is tomorrow at 2 p.m.

OU Softball Crushes Iowa State Once Again.

AMES, Iowa -- A career day at the plate from sophomore Kady Self guided No. 16 Oklahoma (22-8, 1-0) to a 10-0, five-inning win over Iowa State (17-12, 0-1) Friday in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

Self finished 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, three runs scored and five runs batted in to establish career highs in each category. She hit a two-run homer in the third inning and followed it with a three-run blast in the fourth.

Junior Shelby Pendley added a three-run homer in the fifth to extend her career-long hitting streak to 14 games.

Oklahoma has won 19 straight against Iowa State, which is the third-longest active winning streak for the Sooners against one team.