Post-Game Notes

May 25, 2002

Final StatsQuotes

Game 13 - Texas 8, Oklahoma 5 (Oklahoma is eliminated)

Texas used back-to-back homers in the top of the first from Dustin Majewski and Jeff Ontiveros to go along with seven innings of relief from Eugene Espineli to lift the Longhorns to an 8-5 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners to advance to the championship game Sunday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It is the first time since the Big 12 went to an 8-team format that the Longhorns have reached the championship game.

This game breaks the all-time Big 12 Conference and NCAA conference tournament record for attendance set in 1999 at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The crowd of 10,220 helped break the all-time mark of 129,334. The 13-game total is 136,869 going into the finals tomorrow afternoon.

The game marks only the second time in four years that an if-necessary game has been played in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference tournament. The only other if-necessary game was played in 2000 when Nebraska defeated Oklahoma 6-1 to advance to the title game. The Huskers forced the contest by defeating the Sooners 3-1 in the afternoon contest.

Texas second baseman Tim Moss extended his hitting streak to 12 games on the first pitch of the game - a double down the left field line - also a career-high.

Dustin Majewski blasted his ninth home run of the season into the right center field bullpen and his fourth long-ball of the tournament for a 2-0 lead.

Jeff Ontiveros added to his career home run total on the next pitch with a solo shot to left center. It was his 16th of the season and his 51st of his career. It was his 118th extra base hit in his career - a new Texas school record.

The Majewski and Ontiveros homers were the first back-to-back homers of the tournament. It was the first back-to-back jacks for Texas since April 30 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock against TCU. J.D. Reininger and Curtis Thigpen did the honors against the Horned Frogs.

Oklahoma's Eddie Cornejo stretched his hitting streak to 16 games in the bottom of the inning with a double down the right field line, scoring Reggie Willits from first to cut the gap to 3-1.

Jason Fransz made it back-to-back doubles to score Cornejo and cut the Texas advantage to 3-2. After Charlie Frasier was hit by a pitch, Texas inserted Eugene Espineli into the contest, replacing starter Tim McGough, who did not record an out.

In the third, Omar Quintanilla blasted a two-run homer to dead center field for his third homer of the season and a 5-2 Texas lead.

With Quintanilla's homer, the Longhorns tied the tournament record for most homers by a team in the tournament with 8. This ties the record set by Oklahoma State in 4 games in 1997 and Oklahoma and Texas Tech in 5 games the same year.

Moss picked up an infield hit in the top of the fifth for his 10th 3-hit game of the season.

The seven innings pitched by Texas reliever Espineli was his longest outing in his career.

For Espineli, it is his fifth victory of the season without a defeat and Huston Street came in the game in the ninth to put out a Sooner uprising for his ninth save of the year - a new Texas freshman record for saves.

After 13 games of the tournament, the visiting team has won 7 of the 13 games with two of the three games Saturday being won by the visiting squad.

This win gives Texas head coach Augie Garrido his 47th victory - the most victories since coming to Austin in 1997.

It is the second time in as many if necessary games that the team from the loser's bracket has advanced to the championship game. The other was Nebraska in 2000 and they captured the Big 12 Conference tournament title.

Game Attendance - 10,220

Saturday Attendance - 33,776

Tournament Attendance - 136,869 Breaks all-time Big 12 and NCAA conference tournament record. (Through 13 games) Previous Record - 129,334.

Season Attendance record set in 1999 - + 7,535 (Through 13 games)