OU Baseball: Sooners Shut Out 6-0 in Big 12 Championship Opener
By Chip Rouse
Perhaps it was the early morning start. But whatever it was, the OU baseball bats never woke up, and the Sooners proved to be little opposition for West Virginia in the opening game of the Big 12 Baseball Championship in Oklahoma City.
The Sooners managed just two hits off of two West Virginia pitchers, both doubles and both coming in the first four innings. The Oklahoma bats were silent for the final five innings.
Right fielder Alex Wise doubled to lead off the first inning and advanced as far as third, but was left stranded. Following a walk to Sheldon Neuse in the top half of the fourth inning, designated hitter Cody Thomas stroked a two-base hit, but Neuse was cut down at the plate trying to score. As it turned out, that would be OU’s lone scoring opportunity of the game.
West Virginia got on the board in the third inning, scoring a single run after two were out on a walk and back-to-back singles. The Mountaineers broke open the game with a four spot in the fourth, the big blow coming on a three-run homer by leadoff hitter Kyle Davis.
The Mountaineers added another run in the fifth to close out the scoring.
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Oklahoma pitcher Jake Irvin, the Sooners’ best starter with a 6-1 record in the regular season, lasted just 3 2/3 innings before giving way to JB Olson in relief. Irvin gave up five earned runs on eight hits and walked four batters.
West Virginia starter Michael Grove faced just two Oklahoma batters, throwing six pitches total before leaving the game in the opening inning. Ross Vance entered the game in relief and went the remainder of the way, allowing just one hit and striking out seven Sooners, to pick up his seventh win of the season.
The Sooners now await the outcome of the game between top-seeded Texas Tech and No. 8 Kansas State to see who they will face on Friday in a Big 12 Championship elimination game.