The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Oklahoma
No. 10 Baseball drops 12-7 finale to No. 14 Oklahoma
04.02.2006 | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. -- Five different Longhorns hit home runs but it was not enough to overcome a seven-run third by the Sooners as No. 10 Texas dropped a 12-7 decision to No. 14 Oklahoma in front of 2,182 fans at L. Dale Mitchell Park on Sunday, April 2.
Notably, the season-best five home runs was the most for a Texas team since April 30, 2002, versus TCU when the Horns also tallied five round-trippers.
While the Longhorns' (21-11, 6-2 Big 12) loss to OU (21-9, 3-3 Big 12) snapped their season-best, six-game win streak, UT did win the series with the Sooners by a 2-1 count. Additionally, with Missouri also losing to Kansas on the day, the Horns maintained their spot at the top of the conference standings.
Nick Peoples (Round Rock, Texas) opened the contest with a walk, stole second and scored on a two-out single from Carson Kainer (Tomball, Texas) to give Texas a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Looking to counter immediately in the bottom of the frame, Oklahoma loaded the bases with one out via a hit batter, a walk and a single. A two-run base hit from Kevin Smith then gave OU its first lead of the series at 2-1 before a sac fly off the bat of Freddy Rodriguez upped the advantage to 3-1. Following scoreless frames in the second and third for both sides, the Sooners managed to load the bases with one out for the second time in the game during the bottom of the fourth by combining back-to-back singles with a walk. After a fielder's choice grounder cut down the runner from third to make two outs in the inning, Aaron Reza was hit with a pitch to bring in one run before a walk and a three-run double from Ryan Rohlinger produced an 8-1 lead for OU. Four more two-out singles in a row then plated two additional runs in the fourth to push Oklahoma on top 10-1.
Responding quickly, the Longhorns received one-out, solo home runs from Peoples in the fifth and Bradley Suttle (Boerne, Texas) in the sixth to cut the deficit to seven. Texas also managed to load the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth, but OU reliever Will Savage worked out of the jam with a fielder's choice groundout to quell the UT rally. The Sooners then received a two-run home run from Smith in the bottom of the sixth to pull in front by a score of 12-3. Failing to go quietly, the Horns used a leadoff walk followed by consecutive home runs from Drew Stubbs (Atlanta, Texas) and Kainer to make it 12-6 in the seventh. Notably, the back-to-back homers for Texas marked the first time two Longhorns had gone deep in consecutive at bats since April 23, 2005 (at Oklahoma State by Stubbs and Seth Johnston).
While the UT pitching staff held OU off the board in both the seventh and eighth, the Horns' offense got another run back in the ninth via a solo round-tripper from Kyle Russell (Houston, Texas) to pull within 12-7. After placing another runner on in the frame to keep the rally alive, Oklahoma reliever Brad Burns retired the two batters he faced to close out the win. Sooners' starter P.J. Sandoval, who fanned five over 5.1 innings, picked up the victory, while UT starter Adrian Alaniz (Sinton, Texas) incurred his first loss of the year after a 3.2-inning effort in which he struck out three.
Texas was led offensively by Kainer, who went 3-for-5 with one run scored, two RBI and his first home run of the season, and Hunter Harris (Tulsa, Okla.), who tallied two singles in three at bats on the afternoon. Oklahoma, meanwhile, had its 12-hit attack paced by Smith, who tied a career-best with five RBI during a 3-for-4 outing that also included three runs scored, and Rohlinger, who posted a pair of hits while scoring three runs and driving in three more. Of additional note for UT, Suttle extended his current hit streak to a career-best eight games with his second home run in three games.
Up next, the Longhorns continue their current road swing by opening a three-game league series against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., on Friday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. Central.
