Crimson And Cream Machine - Weekend Baseball Thread | Oklahoma Sooners At #25 Texas A Site For Sooner Fans By Sooner Fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48625/crimsonandcream_fave.png2015-04-12T17:05:28-05:00http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/rss/stream/81507662015-04-12T17:05:28-05:002015-04-12T17:05:28-05:00Sooners Take First Place With Series Win In Austin
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<p>Don't look now but the Oklahoma Sooners are tied at the top of the Big 12 Conference standings. A week that started with OU getting obliterated in Stillwater, on Tuesday night, ended on Sunday with Oklahoma taking their series against Texas, in Austin, and earning a tie for first place in the conference.</p>
<p>After splitting the first two games of the series, the Sooners and Longhorns faced off in a Sunday rubber match. At stake was not just the series but possibly the season for two teams that have faced their share of successes and struggles this season. With Oklahoma State dropping their weekend series at Kansas, OU also had an opportunity to make their way to the top of the standings.</p>
<p>The Sooners scattered three runs through the first six innings, with single marks being put on the board in the second, fourth, and sixth innings, while Robert Tasin and Jacob Evans limited the Longhorns to just two runs despite allowing eleven hits.</p>
<p>For the first time in the weekend series Oklahoma took a lead over Texas in regulation when Kolbey Carpenter drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Sheldon Neuse in the top of the second. The Longhorns would tie the game in the bottom half of the inning only to see OU regain the lead in the fourth when Carpenter knocked in Hunter Haley. A much needed insurance run came in the 6th when it was Carpenter who got to cross home plate off the bat of Taylor Alspaugh.</p>
<p>Texas scored their second run in the bottom of the eighth when Tres Barrera crossed the dish but Jacob Evans was eventually able to retire the side and then sit the Longhorns down in order in the ninth including a game-clinching strike out to draw the series to a close.</p>
<p>Carpenter was 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBI and was one of just three OU batters to record multiple hits in the game. Sheldon Neuse went 2-of-3 and pitcher Robert Tasin was 2-of-5.</p>
https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2015/4/12/8395801/oklahoma-sooners-baseball-takes-series-from-texas-are-tied-for-firstM. Hofeld2015-04-11T21:26:11-05:002015-04-11T21:26:11-05:00Longhorns Win Game Two 4-1
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<p>Oklahoma's baseball series with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barkingcarnival.com/">Texas Longhorns</a> remains in the balance with the score to be settled in a Sunday rubber match. After taking game one of the series 3-2 on Friday night the Sooners fell 4-1 in Austin on Sunday.</p>
<p>The Longhorns took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and didn't look back. Although the Sooners would tie the game up in the top of the third, when Josh Ake came home on a Taylor Alspaugh single, they wouldn't be able to overcome a three-run sixth inning for the Longhorns.</p>
<p>Starter Alec Hansen was responsible for all four of the Texas runs. He pitched 5.2 innings and gave up five hits while also walking five batters and striking out five. Ralph Garza Jr. was solid in relief, fanning five over 2.1 innings, but it was too little, too late.</p>
<p>The Sooners out hit the Longhorns 8-7 but obviously struggled moving runners all the way around the bags.</p>
https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2015/4/11/8391785/oklahoma-sooners-baseball-longhorns-take-game-two-setting-up-sunday-rubber-matchM. Hofeld2015-04-11T00:48:03-05:002015-04-11T00:48:03-05:00Sooners Take Game One In Extras
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<p><span>Jake Elliott</span> shook off a bad start and Austin O'Brien shook off a bad slump as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma Sooners</a> rallied to win the first of their three-game series against Texas, in Austin, 3-2. The Longhorns' first three batters reached safely against Elliott, Oklahoma's starting pitcher, thanks to a lead-off single by Joe Baker and back-to-back hit by pitches on Brooks Marlow and Ben Johnson. Tres Barrera, the fourth batter in the inning, hit into a double-play but he also scored Baker to give the Longhorns their first lead of the night at 1-0.</p>
<p>Oklahoma's Craig Aikin led off the second inning with a single and then advanced around to tie the game up when Robert Tasin reached on a throwing error from third base. The hit was a milestone for Aikin as it was the 200th of his Oklahoma baseball career.</p>
<p>Michael Cantu came home on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fourth to put Texas back in front 2-1. The Sooners would rally once again though in the top half of the seventh when Taylor Alspaugh knocked in Josh Ake to tie things up at 2-2.</p>
<p>Ake's run would set up high drama as the two teams would swap hits, strike outs, put outs, and stranded runners well beyond regulation. With two out in the top of the 12<sup>th</sup> Aikin doubled to right-center field and set up Austin O'Brien for his best moment to this point of the season.</p>
<p>O'Brien got hold of a 1-1 pitch from <span>Connor Mayes</span> and ripped it through the right side, allowing Aikin to score from second base...for the second time on the evening. O'Brien's RBI gave OU their first lead of the game and proved to be the difference maker in the Sooners' 3-2 win.</p>
<p>Elliott rebounded to go on and throw seven strong innings. He was responsible for both Texas runs but was able to scatter them from the first to the fourth. In relief Oklahoma's bullpen kept the Longhorns off the board over five innings and fanned six batters. Ralph Garza Jr. picked up the win to even his record at 1-1 by throwing 1.1 innings of perfect ball and striking out three of the four batters he faced. Jacob Evans recorded his third save of the year by pitching the twelfth inning.</p>
<p>O'Brien came into the game slumping with a .218 average and only nine RBI's on the year. However, in this moment he was absolutely clutch and that may be the biggest confidence boosted of all time.</p>
https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2015/4/11/8386727/oklahoma-sooners-baseball-takes-down-25-texas-in-extrasM. Hofeld2015-04-10T01:01:17-05:002015-04-10T01:01:17-05:00Baseball Opponent Q&A | The Texas Longhorns
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma Sooners</a> open up a pivotal three-game baseball series at Texas tonight. Both teams are in the top half of the conference standings and are separated by just one game. OU can either put some distance between themselves and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barkingcarnival.com/">Longhorns</a> this weekend or give up ground to the school's biggest rival.</p>
<p>To get the latest on Texas baseball, as we head into the midway point of conference play, we reached out to our friends at <a href="http://www.hornsports.com/" target="_blank">HornSports</a> and Managing Editor <a href="https://twitter.com/MLCotcher" target="_blank">Matt Cotcher</a>.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9614"><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9613">CCM: </b><i>You can typically bank on Texas having a strong pitching rotation. Talk us though the good and the bad of the Longhorns staff that currently ranks third is the conference. </i><u></u><u></u></p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9616"><b>MC: </b>Texas leans on pitching tremendously - some say too much. The success starts with pitching coach Skip Johnson and his work is reinforced by Augie Garrido's belief that a team is most successful if they can rely on pitching and defense.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9624">This season, the Horns are extremely capable on the mound, but not yet up to the level that fans are accustomed. There are two primary reasons: first, offseason surgery to Morgan Cooper forced Johnson to shuffle the starting rotation, and second is youth.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9653">Texas starting pitching is very talented, but has also been inconsistent. It looks like weekend starter Chad Hollingsworth may not pitch this weekend, making it even more difficult to project how the staff will fare against the Sooners.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9627">The bullpen is young but really talented. Both pitching with a lead, or holding the opposition in check while the offense plays catch-up, the bullpen has performed well in all types of situations.</p>
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<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9629"><span><b>CCM: </b><i>It's shocking to see the Longhorns currently ranked last in the conference in team batting. What gives?</i></span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9631"><b>MC: </b>It's not shocking for Texas fans that sat through the team's recent seven game losing streak. The offense is feast or famine - they dominate weak hurlers and get shut down by someone pitching well. While the team is only hitting .247, but the slugging (.373) and on-base (.341) percentages are more respectable.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Garrido allowed the offense to take big swings and rip extra-base hits throughout the first month of the season. Normally Texas' skipper gets a tight rein on the offense and practices small ball up and down the order in non-conference play. Early this year, Garrido favored letting the team swing away and build confidence, but over the last month the results of that decision have been poor.</p>
<p>When it comes to the offense (and the 18-15 record) it's worth noting that Texas has played one of the toughest schedules in the country. The offense has struggled, but it's been against the likes of Rice, Stanford, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska.</p>
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<p><b>CCM:<i> </i></b><i>Is it safe to assume that lack of offensive productivity, besides <span>Ben Johnson</span>, has been the primary struggle for UT this season. </i><u></u><u></u></p>
<p><b>MC: </b>As streaky as the team has been this year, I'm more inclined to blame the team's mental approach than the offense. The team that finished third at the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-world-series">CWS</a> in 2014 lost it's two biggest players in terms of leadership in the dugout (Mark Payton and Nathan Thornhill). So far 2015 has been a roller coaster as the Longhorn roster goes from looking like a Top 10 team nationally to the Bad News Bears, with little in between.</p>
<p>To your point, the offense has definitely haunted Texas in losses. The youthful Horns allow a lack of success at the plate to create negative momentum and it impacts offense, defense, and pitching.</p>
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<p><b>CCM: </b><i>With a road trip to Morgantown looming next week we've pretty much tabbed the next two weekend series as make or break for the Sooners. Are the Longhorns in the same boat? </i><u></u><u></u></p>
<p><b>MC: </b>Not really, but that's only because Texas still has all of their goals within reach. The overall record (18-15) is ugly, but at 5-4 in conference play, with OU and TCU still ahead on the schedule, the Big 12 is undecided at this point.</p>
<p>Additionally, this is Texas and Augie Garrido - which is to say that what really matters is postseason success. Garrido talks frequently about responding to adversity and how certain challenges prepare a team for peak performance. When coupled with the fact that both Garrido and the players openly admitted before the season that this year's team was championship caliber, they set the expectation on their own.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9654">The short answer is that if 18-15 prepared this team to make a stretch run (which they are absolutely capable of doing), then those losses are acceptable.</p>
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<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9659"><span><b>CCM: </b><i>Under Steve Patterson the Longhorns have said goodbye by to <span>Mack Brown</span> and Rick Barnes, both long-tenured coaches. How much security does Augie Garrido have?</i></span></p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9576"><b>MC: </b>As the winningest coach in <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-baseball">college baseball</a> history, Garrido is safe. After last year's run in the CWS, Patterson extended Garrido's contract through 2017. While there are fans upset with the team's performance to date, most are willing to concede that disappointment against Garrido's past successes.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9590">It's difficult to envision any scenario where Garrido is terminated before his current deal expires. Not only is there too much talent on the roster for a complete meltdown, but Garrido has an ample reserve of goodwill in the bank.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428554694542_9575">Patterson is a bit of a wild card, and Garrido is not 'his guy', so anything is possible. But Steve Patterson is on the hook for Charlie Strong and Shaka Smart - would he really gamble with baseball while those hires determine his future? Probably not.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">--</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We'll have complete game recaps through the weekend so make sure to check in here at CCM for the latest on the baseball series. For press box updates, and some Longhorn perspective, make sure to give Matt Cotcher a follow on Twitter by clicking his name at the top of the article.</p>
https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/2015/4/10/8381245/oklahoma-sooners-baseball-opponent-preview-texas-longhorns-q-aM. Hofeld