Oklahoma baseball rewind: Texas wins Red River series with late-innings explosion
By Chip Rouse
The backend of the Oklahoma baseball bullpen couldn’t close the door over the final three innings and the Sooners fell to No. 8 Texas 12-8 in the Red River rivalry series finale on Sunday.
Oklahoma was the home team in the series that was played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the MLB Texas Rangers. The Sooners have played nine games at Globe Life Field this season, where they are 5-4.
The Sooners blew a 7-1 advantage entering the top half of the seventh on Sunday. The Longhorns scored six times in the seventh on a pair of three-run home runs by Dylan Campbell and Murphy Stehly. By the time the inning was over, Texas had tied the game at 7-7.
The Longhorn offense struck for five more runs on five hits and an Oklahoma error in the top of the ninth to put the game on ice.
The Sooners picked up one more run in their half of the ninth, but it was far too little too late.
Texas took the game and the series two games to one and spoiled a strong performance from Sooner starter Chazz Martinez. Martinez went 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out seven and walking three. Four OU relievers went the final 3 2/3 innings, yielding 11 runs, only six of which were earned, on eight hits. Javier Ramos, the third of the four relievers to follow Martinez to the mound, was charged with the loss.
Oklahoma out-hit the Longhorns 13 to 12, but Texas was more efficient with its offense, using the long ball to score six of its 12 runs.
Sooner first baseman Blake Robertson and shortstop Peyton Graham collected three hits apiece, almost half of the OU offence, and Graham added four RBI, three coming on a home run in the sixth inning that put Oklahoma up 7-1.
After losing two of three to Texas over the weekend, the Sooners fell to 16-10 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12.
Oklahoma hosts Oral Roberts on Tuesday at L. Dale Mitchell Park and will head to Stillwater on Friday for a three-game Bedlam series with its other big rival, Oklahoma State.