The two best hitting teams in the Big 12 squared off Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park and one of them didn't disappoint. Kansas State jumped up on the Sooners 2-0 in the first when Tanner DeVinny singled up the middle to score Austin Fisher and Shane Conlon.
Friday's Big XII Baseball Scores
|
North Carolina-Wilmington |
1 |
West Virginia |
2 |
|
Kansas |
13 |
Dartmouth |
5 |
|
Texas |
7 |
Columbia |
3 |
|
Oklahoma |
11 |
Kansas State |
4 |
|
Baylor |
4 |
Oklahoma State |
1 |
|
TCU |
9 |
Texas Tech |
0 |
Oklahoma got on the board in the bottom of the second when Hector Lorenzana knocked in Anthony Hermelyn on a single to left field. The Wildcats got a run back though, in the top of the third, and maintained a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. That's when the Sooners put together their most productive inning of the season.
OU put brought in eight runs off seven hits in the inning to take a commanding lead and would never look back from there. Hunter Haley would bat twice in the inning with his second plate appearance resulting in a grand slam home run. It was the first time an Oklahoma batter has hit a grand slam since Ricky Eisenburg achieved the feat against Kansas on May 8th, 2011. Haley finished the game 2-for-5 from the plate, with two runs scored and four runs batted in.
Final: No. 30 Oklahoma 11, Kansas State 4. Sooners open Big 12 with a big win. pic.twitter.com/yKsMJJ2bZl
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 22, 2014
After the Wildcats scored a run in the top of the eighth inning, Oklahoma quickly eradicated any hopes of a KSU comeback by posting two more runs in the bottom half to extend their lead to the final score of 11-4. Oklahoma's 11 runs came on 18 hits with seven of OU's nine batters recording multiple hits in the game.
Oklahoma starter Corey Copping lasted 4.2 innings but was on the hook for three of Kansas State's four runs. He gave up seven hits, walked two, and struck out four against the statically best hitting offense in the conference. Jacob Evans was the first reliever to come out of the bullpen and earned the win by tossing three full innings. He allowed just one run, off a single hit, and struck out two. Kindle Ladd pitched just a third of an inning before Kyle Hayes tossed a perfect ninth.
The two teams will go at it again on Saturday at 1:00
Three Strikes
* Oklahoma now has the highest team batting average in the Big 12 at .308 on the season
* Mac James has the highest individual batting average in the Big 12 at .444
* Sheldon Neuse, Hunter Haley, and Mac James are the top three in the Big 12 in total bases