Texas Longhorns Baseball Clinches Series with 7-2 Win Over Oklahoma
Texas Longhorns Baseball – The No. 7/7 Texas baseball team used a balanced offensive effort and a solid outing from starting pitcher Dillon Peters to beat NR/26 Oklahoma 7-2 Saturday afternoon and clinch a series victory over the Sooners.
All nine Longhorns in the starting lineup had at least one hit, while Peters surrendered just two runs on seven hits in seven-plus innings. Texas (28-8, 8-3 Big 12) won for the 13th time in the last 15 games, including its sixth straight conference win and third straight conference series victory.
Peters, meanwhile, cruised after allowing a run in the second, working four straight scoreless innings while getting excellent defensive play behind him. The junior struck out three and worked around three walks to improve to 5-2 this year.
Closer John Curtiss worked a second consecutive day on the mound, replacing Peters after a leadoff double in the eighth and allowing just one hit in two innings.
Texas' break-through inning came in the fourth, when a one-out walk followed by five straight singles led to four runs and a 5-1 Longhorn advantage. Madison Carter, who is hitting .400 in Big 12 play, brought in the first run of the inning with a bases loaded single to left, and Clemens followed with a two-run single through the right side. Zane Gurwitz drove in the fourth run of the frame with an infield single, scoring Carter from third.
The Longhorns added to the lead an inning later. Mark Payton gave Texas its first leadoff man on in the game when he was hit by a pitch, and after Tres Barrera singled, Collin Shaw moved up the runners with a sacrifice bunt. C.J Hinojosa, who finished 2-for-4, came through with a single down the left field line to score both runners and make it 7-1 Texas.
Prior to Texas taking control with six runs combined in the fourth and fifth innings, the game stayed close the first three innings.
For the ninth time in the last 13 games, Texas opened the contest with a run in the first inning. After Ben Johnson walked and Payton reached on an infield single, the pair executed a double steal and Barrera drove in a run with a RBI groundout.
Oklahoma (23-13, 4-4 Big 12) came back to tie it up in the second, but Peters and Texas prevented what could have been a big inning. A leadoff walk followed by two straight singles loaded the bases with no outs, but Peters induced a 6-4-3 double play that brought in a run, and then got a groundout to end the inning.
The Longhorns again worked out of trouble in the third, when another leadoff walk followed by a single and sacrifice bunt gave Oklahoma runners on second and third with one out. Peters stranded both, getting Sheldon Neuse to pop out before making a great snag on a hard liner hit right at him by Mac James.
After that, Texas came through with its four-run fourth inning, prompting Oklahoma to go to the bullpen early for the second straight day. Sooners' starter Adam Choplick (3-2) was charged with the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in just 3 2/3.
Texas and Oklahoma are scheduled to conclude the series Sunday at 2:30 p.m. RHP Nathan Thornhill (5-0, 0.73) takes the mound for the Longhorns against Oklahoma RHP Jake Elliott (2-3, 3.61). The game will be televised on ESPNU.
(via Press Release - University of Texas Athletics)
