Baseball Captures Series Victory With 5-1 Win Over Highlanders

NORMAN, Okla. - After splitting the first two games of the series with UC-Riverside, the 16th-ranked Oklahoma baseball team finished strong in the finale and defeated the Highlanders 5-1 at L. Dale Mitchell Park Sunday afternoon. Sooner starting pitcher Mark Roberts (3-1) picked up his third straight win after logging six innings with nine hits, two walks and equalling his season best with eight strikeouts. Oklahoma's defense assisted Roberts in his outing by turning four key double plays, one shy of tying the school record. The win helped the Sooners (10-3) reach the 10-win plateau, while the Highlanders head home with a 9-11 mark.

“I feel real good about the way we played today,” said OU head coach Larry Cochell. “Mark Roberts pitched out of several jams and our defense also played really well in turning four double plays.”

Box Score

Oklahoma gave Roberts all the run support he needed in the first inning with a three run frame. Junior centerfielder Jeff Scuderi (1-for-4) and sophomore second baseman Russell Raley (1-for-4) collected back-to-back singles to lead off OU's half of the inning. With both baserunners in scoring position following junior first baseman Ole Sheldon's (0-for-3) sacrifice bunt, junior third baseman Matt Bose (1-for-3) knocked in both players with a single to left field for the 2-0 lead. Junior shortstop Brenan Herrera (1-for-4) then brought Bose in with a RBI-single to extend the lead to 3-0.

OU added single runs in the third and sixth frames to cushion the lead. In the third inning, Sheldon led things off by reaching base on an error. After a sacrifice bunt and single moved him over to third base, Sheldon came home after a throw down to second base by the UCR catcher, in an attempt to catch OU senior rightfielder Andrew McGuire (2-for-4) stealing, sailed over the second baseman and into center field.

The Sooners took advantage of another Highlanders error in the sixth inning to score the fifth and final run. Herrera reached on an error by the UCR shortstop and, after moving over to third base on a single by junior designated hitter Eric Thornton (1-for-2), scored on a squeeze bunt by sophomore pinch hitter LaFringe Hayes (0-for-0).

Roberts worked his way out of several tight situations throughout the game. Roberts had runners in scoring position with one out or less in the first, fourth and fifth innings and was able to get out of each jam without any further damage. With the bases loaded in the fourth, the Owasso, Okla., native fanned the final two batters of the inning and, in the fifth inning, the Oklahoma defense helped out by turning an inning-ending double play to strand a runner at second base.

The only run the Highlanders managed off of Roberts came earlier in the fifth inning when a leadoff double turned into a run on a RBI-single by leftfielder Matt Cunningham.

Oklahoma continues its seven-game home stand on Wednesday at 3 p.m. versus Texas-Arlington at L. Dale Mitchell Park.