No. 23 Sooners Rally For 3-2 Win Over No. 1 Longhorns

NORMAN, Okla. - Sophomore designated hitter Ryan Rohlinger delivered a clutch two-out double to score the winning runs as No. 23 Oklahoma came from behind to defeat No. 1 Texas Saturday, 3-2, at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

After the Longhorns (25-3, 1-1 Big 12) plated two unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning, the Sooners (12-8, 1-1 Big 12) battled back to score three runs in the bottom of the frame to claim their first victory of the year after trailing after seven innings.

It marked OU's fourth win over a ranked team this season as their record improved to 6-2 overall this season against teams that participated in the 2003 NCAA Tournament. The win also snapped Texas' 14-game winning streak, its longest streak in nine years.

“It was a great game for us coming from behind against a team like Texas. It gives our guys a lot of confidence,” said OU head coach Larry Cochell.

Box Score

Trailing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Oklahoma's rally began with a string of three straight hits with two outs. Senior rightfielder Andrew McGuire (1-for-4) collected the first of the three hits with a single to extend his career best hitting streak to eight games. McGuire's base hit also moved freshman leftfielder Aaron Ivey (1-for-1), who earlier singled, to third base.

With runners at the corners, junior first baseman Ole Sheldon (1-for-4) drove in Ivey with a single up the middle which also advanced McGuire to second base. Sheldon and McGuire both raced home on the next at bat as Rohlinger laced his double into the left field corner to allow both runners to score.

“It was a big hit from a guy that's only had a few at bats this year and to be able to come through like that with two outs is huge,” Cochell said about Rohlinger's game-winning hit.

Junior righty Jarod McAuliff (3-0) worked the final two frames in relief for the win. McAuliff allowed only one hit and one unearned run during his stint while striking out a pair.

The win capped off a solid starting debut on the mound for Sooner freshman Ryan Mottern. The Palestine, Texas, native kept the Sooners in the game by holding the Longhorns scoreless in his six innings of work. He was pulled after walking his fourth batter of the game to lead off the seventh inning. He scattered two hits and struck out two.

Mottern got out of several jams with runners in scoring position in the first, fifth and sixth innings. In all, he stranded five runners on base.

“He couldn't have pitched any better,” commented Cochell on Mottern's start. “You couldn't ask from more from a freshman that's making his first start against his home state's team.”

Texas scored their pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning as an error in the field prolonged the frame and eventually allowed the runs to score. UT rightielder Hunter Harris started off the inning with a single off senior reliever Casey Brown. With McAuliff on the mound after relieving Brown, Sooner third baseman Matt Bose (1-for-4) misplayed a ball in the next at bat for a two base error that placed both runners in scoring position with no outs. Catcher Taylor Teagarden then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Harris from third for the first run of the game.

Two batters later, the second run scored as first baseman Curtis Thigpen, who reached base on the error, came around to score as the Sooner defense failed to get the final out at first in time and were unable to nail Thigpen at the plate.

The series wraps up on Sunday with a 1 p.m. start time at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Oklahoma senior righthander Mark Roberts (4-1) will be in search of his fifth-straight win as he goes up against senior lefthander Justin Simmons (4-1) from Texas.