No. 13 Oklahoma Falls 6-5 To Texas Tech In Extra Innings

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech centerfielder Cody Fuller hit a walk off single to left field in the bottom of the 10th inning to plate the winning run as the Red Raiders defeated 13th-ranked Oklahoma, 6-5, Sunday afternoon to clinch the series win.
Oklahoma (26-15, 13-5 Big 12) had battled back after being down by three runs, but Texas Tech (27-13, 8-6 Big 12) scored the final two runs of the contest to secure the victory. Junior Daniel McCutchen (3-1) suffered the loss on the mound and freshman catcher Josh Stinson and senior rightfielder Andrew McGuire both went deep for solo home runs.

“We came back and fought back and that was the good part of the game,” said OU head coach Larry Cochell. “It comes down to making plays and pitches when it counts and we weren't able to do that late in the game.”

Box Score

After starting both pitchers held both teams scoreless through the first three frames, Texas Tech got to Jarod McAuliff, who was making his first start of the season, first for a run in the fourth inning. Red Raider first baseman Josh Brady singled and scored two batters later on a RBI-double by third baseman Josh Haney. Tech continued to threaten by loading the bases, but McAuliff worked his way out of the jam by getting a ground out to second base.

McGuire (1-for-4) tied the score at 1-1 with one swing of the bat as he sent his team-leading sixth home run to right field.

Brady and Haney then combined again to plate the Red Raiders' next run. Haney then singled home Brady in the sixth inning and was followed by second baseman Jose Delgado's RBI-double which brought home leftfielder Michael Mask for a 3-1 lead.

The Red Raiders added another run in the next frame as Texas Tech loaded the bases with three consecutive singles and Mask brought in one of the baserunners with a sacrifice fly to right field. McCutchen entered the game in relief of senior Mike Swindell, who faced two batters, to record three straight outs to get OU out of the inning.

The Sooner bats were silenced to three hits until the eighth inning when they broke out for three runs on four hits to tie the game. Freshman leftfielder Ryan Mottern (0-for-3) led off by being hit by a pitch and junior centerfielder Jeff Scuderi (1-for-4) hit a one out single. Sophomore second baseman Russell Raley (1-for-5) then loaded the bases with a single before junior first baseman Ole Sheldon (2-for-5) singled to left field to drive in Mottern. Scuderi came around to score on the same play as the Tech leftfielder bobbled the ball allowing him to score on the error.

The Sooners again loaded the bases with a walk to junior designated hitter Eric Thornton (0-for-4) before junior third baseman which allowed junior third baseman Matt Bose (2-for-4) to knock in the tying run with a base hit.

Stinson (1-for-4) recorded his first career home run, and OU's second of the game, to give the Sooners their first lead in the top of the ninth inning.

The lead would only last very briefly as the Red Raiders tied the contest in the bottom of the frame. Tech catcher Cooper Fouts led off the inning with a single and, after being pinch run for, Marcus Lewis scored on a two out double by Brady to send the game into extra innings.

Oklahoma returns home to host Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.