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Early Runs Not Enough at OU
April 23, 2016 05:55 PM | Baseball
NORMAN, Okla. – The West Virginia University baseball team dropped the second game of its series at Oklahoma, 12-6, on Saturday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
The Mountaineers (19-18, 5-8 Big 12) scored six runs on 10 hits, while the Sooners (20-19-1, 6-8) scored 12 runs on 18 hits with one error. WVU stranded nine runners on base and OU left seven.
West Virginia scored three runs in the first and used a good outing by senior left-hander Ross Vance to take a 6-4 lead into the seventh inning, but Oklahoma came back to win it in the eighth inning.
In 5.1 innings, Vance gave up four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk. He retired nine in a row after allowing a leadoff single in the first inning. Vance exited the game having allowed just two runs before his final two baserunners scored.
A day after they were held to no runs on three hits, seven Mountaineers had at least one hit and five drove in runs. Junior first baseman Jackson Cramer had two hits and two RBIs and freshmen Darius Hill and Braden Zarbnisky both had two hits and a run batted in. Sophomore left fielder Kyle Davis hit his fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning.
Sophomore right-hander Conner Dotson (4-4) suffered the loss. In 1.1 innings, he allowed three runs on four hits with a walk.
West Virginia jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. With two runners on and two outs, Cramer tripled to the wall in right-center to score Zarbnisky and Hill. Freshman third baseman Cole Austin followed with a single to center to score Cramer.
With a 3-0 lead, Vance allowed a leadoff single in the first inning, but followed by retiring the next nine Sooner batters. Oklahoma got on the board in the fourth inning with a leadoff homer by Hunter Southerland.
The Mountaineers answered right back though on a leadoff home run of their own. It was Davis’ fifth homer of the season and ninth of his career that cleared the left field wall to put West Virginia ahead 4-1.
WVU added to its lead with two runs with two outs in the top of the sixth. A single was followed by a stand-up triple by Zarbnisky to score one, and Hill singled home Zarbnisky.
Oklahoma responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs to cut the West Virginia lead to 6-4. A walk and back-to-back hits scored one, before junior righty Jackson Sigman relieved Vance. A wild pitch plated another and the inning’s final run came on a groundout.
The lead was cut to 6-5 on a solo home run to lead off the seventh. In the eighth, Oklahoma scored seven runs on nine hits to take the lead, 12-6. OU batted around and all but one run came before two outs were recorded.
The series between WVU and OU concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT. Jeff Culhane will call the action on the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on various affiliates throughout the state. The radio broadcast can also be heard online at WVUsports.com or on the TuneIn Radio App and the Mountaineer Gameday App. Live stats from Norman can be found on SoonerSports.com. The game will be broadcast on Sooner Sports TV, on FS Oklahoma + and FCS Central.
Single game and flex plan tickets for the 2016 WVU baseball season are on sale now. Fans can join the excitement of WVU baseball and contribute to the home field advantage at Monongalia County Ballpark by calling 1-800-WVU GAME, purchasing tickets at WVUGAME.com or visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office at Gate A of Monongalia County Ballpark. More information on single game tickets and can be found at WVUsports.com, while flex plan ticket information is available here.
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