Offense Powers No. 18 OU Past Air Force, 16-2

NORMAN, Okla. - The 18th-ranked Oklahoma baseball team set several offensive season highs in a 16-2 rout of the Air Force Academy Tuesday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Sooners' offensive onslaught included setting season best totals in runs, hits, home runs, extra-base hits, RBI and tying their best mark in doubles.

Highlighting the Sooners' performance on the mound was a strong starting pitching debut by junior Tyler Gooch. Oklahoma improved to 23-11 overall, while Air Force fell to 5-26 on the season with their 13th straight loss.

Five Sooners hit home runs in the game, including junior first baseman Ole Sheldon, sophomore shortstop Ryan Rohlinger, sophomore designated hitter Scott Rooker and senior rightfielder Andrew McGuire, who went deep twice, to account for nine of the scores.

Gooch (1-0) picked up his first career win after working seven scoreless frames of three-hit ball. He also struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Box Score

McGuire (3-for-3) got the Sooner offense rolling early with the first of his two home runs a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning. OU plated another run in the frame on back-to-back doubles by Sheldon (3-for-3) and junior designated hitter Eric Thornton (2-for-3) for the 2-0 lead.

OU tacked on three more runs courteousy of two more long balls in the third inning for a 5-0 lead. McGuire launched his second solo shot of the game and his team-leading fifth home run of the season. Following a double by Rohlinger (3-for-6), Sheldon brought him home on the front end of his third home run of the season.

After scoring four of their first five runs on home runs, Oklahoma manufactured four more in the fourth inning to open up a 9-0 advantage. Junior centerfielder Jeff Scuderi (1-for-2) doubled home junior third baseman Brenan Herrera (0-for-0), who led off the inning with a walk, for the first run. Four of the next five batters then singled to bring home the three remaining runs.

In the fifth frame, Oklahoma extended its lead with six more scores. After a leadoff walk and a double placed junior pinch hitter Kyle Bradburry (0-for-1) at third base, freshman leftfielder Chad Lembeck (1-for-2) brought him home with a sacrifice fly to left field. The Sooners then broke out the big bats again as an error by the Falcons' shortstop prolonged the inning and allowed Rohlinger to hit his third home run of the year, a three-run shot, and Rooker to go deep for a two-run job, his first of the year.

The Sooners loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning for freshman catcher Josh Stinson (3-for-4) who came through with a RBI-single to put OU's final run on the scoreboard.

The Falcons ended the Sooners' bid for their second shutout of the season when first baseman Jason Brown sent an offering from OU freshman reliever Charles Benoit over the left field fence. Later in the inning, Benoit hit a batter and allowed that player to come around and score on a wild pitch.

Sheldon and Scuderi both extended their career best hitting streaks to 11 games with at least one hit each in the contest.

Western Illinois comes to Norman on Wednesday to face Oklahoma in its second mid-week contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.