Sooner baseball: Big 12 Win streak reaches seven
By Chip Rouse
Sooner Magic is alive and well in the form of Oklahoma baseball.
Nineteenth-ranked Oklahoma (22-10, 7-0) polished off TCU Friday night, 8-5, winning its seventh consecutive Big 12 game. That is the Sooners best start in conference play in the 22-year history of the Big 12 and the team’s best start to a league season since going undefeated through the first eight Big Eight games in 1984.
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The Sooners overcame a 13-strikeout performance by TCU starter Nick Lodolo, who recorded 13 of the 18 outs in his six innings of work by called or swinging third strikes.
Redshirt sophomore Kyler Murray, who is expected to be the next Oklahoma football starting quarterback, was the star at the plate for the Sooners on Friday. The Sooner center fielder went two-for-four, blasting two big home runs and driving in four runs. That equaled a career high and was Murray’s fifth multi-RBI game of the season.
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Oklahoma benefited from two three-run innings that enabled the Sooners to come from behind twice in the game. OU overcame a 4-3 deficit with three runs in the seventh inning and added single tallies in the eighth and ninth to seal the victory.
Ace weekend starter Jake Irvin, who came into the game sporting a Big 12-best 5-0 record, went five innings, allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Four Sooner relievers finished out the game, with freshman left-hander Levi Prater getting the win, his second of the season.
Junior right fielder Steele Walker also posted a two-hit game, the 13th time he has done so this season.
The two teams play again on Saturday, with right-hander Devon Perez (3-0, 2.27 ERA and .235 opponents’ batting average) on the mound for the Sooners and Jared Janczk (1-1, 3.07), who throws from the right side, expected to get the call for TCU.
The win on Friday was the first for Oklahoma at TCU since 2014. The Sooners are now 7-9 against the Horned Frogs since TCU became a member of the Big 12.
Another streak of note from Friday’s 8-5 Oklahoma win: The Sooners are 8-0 in weekend opening games this season.