Oklahoma blew a tight 2-1 game wide open in the top of the eighth inning with just one swing of Sheldon Neuse's bat and lived to fight another day in the Big 12 Baseball Championship. Now they await their next opponent that will come in the loser of tonight's Oklahoma State and Kansas State game.
The Sooners took a 1-0 lead in the top of the opening frame when Anthony Hermelyn scored Kolbey Carpenter with a double to left-center. The score held that way until the Mountaineers brought Ray Guerrini home in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. OU regained the lead in the top of the next inning by plating Carpenter once again and then, after loading the bases in the top of the eighth, Neuse brought in three more runs with a double to center field and then came in to score the game's final run himself off the bat of Robert Tasin.
West Virginia starter Ross Vance had been strong through the first seven innings but the Sooners were able to rock him in the eighth and he left the mound responsible for all six OU runs.
Tasin was also Oklahoma's starting pitcher and gave the Sooners seven strong innings where he allowed just the lone run off seven hits and struck out five. OU's next game against either K-State or OSU will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.