Sooners Fall 8-3 To Longhorns In Red River Rivalry Opener

April 11, 2003

AUSTIN, Texas - After the Sooner baseball team drew to within two runs twice, the ninth-ranked Longhorns pulled away with three runs in the final three innings for an 8-3 win in the series opener Friday night at Disch-Falk Field. The Sooner offense came alive with 10 hits in the game, however Oklahoma could not shut down the Longhorns as they bettered OU's effort with 11 hits. The Sooners fell to 13-17 overall and 1-9 in the Big 12 Conference, while the Longhorns improved to 27-11 and 10-3 in the league.

OU starting pitcher Mark Roberts (4-2), who tied a career high with nine strikeouts, held the Longhorns scoreless for three straight innings before running into trouble again in the seventh inning. The Longhorns put the game out of reach by scoring a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning as an error by Kitch with two outs allowed a run to score. Third baseman/reliever Huston Street, who reached base on the error, scored the second run of the inning on an unusual play. Second baseman Tim Moss doubled and went in hard at the bag at second base which busted up the throw to the bag long enough to allow Street to advance home after he had stopped at third base.

Texas scored five runs through the first three innings to grab momentum early in the game. After the Longhorns scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, Oklahoma tied the game in the top of the second frame on back-to-back doubles to right field by junior shortstop Denver Kitch (2-for-4) and junior right fielder Andrew McGuire (1-for-4).

Three straight Longhorn base hits in the second inning led to three more runs for Texas with the biggest blow being a two-RBI single by Quintanilla for a 4-1 Longhorn lead.

The Sooners continued to chip away at the lead in the third frame by plating their second run of the game to cut the Longhorns' lead down to 4-2. Senior second baseman Eddie Cornejo (3-for-4) collected his second hit with a single to left field and scored from second base two batters later on a two-out base hit by sophomore first baseman Matt Bose (2-for-4).

Down 5-2 in the seventh inning, senior center fielder Reggie Willits (1-for-4) created some two-out trouble with a single to right field and a steal of second base. Cornejo singled in Willits in the next at bat to draw the Sooners closer at 5-3.

Saturday's match up will begin at 2 p.m. at Disch-Falk Field and will feature two southpaws squaring off on the mound. Sooner lefthander Buddy Blair (2-4) will be opposed by Longhorn lefty J. P. Howell (5-0).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Fall 8-3 To Longhorns In Red River Rivalry Opener

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