OU Rallies Late to Complete Sweep

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma baseball team (5-4) used its first ninth-inning comeback of the season to win 7-6 on Sunday over Western Illinois (6-5) at L. Dale Mitchell Park to complete the series sweep.

The Leathernecks rallied twice in the ball game to tie the Sooners, once in the sixth (4-4) and again in the ninth (6-6), before the Sooners' Joseph Hughes scored the game-winning run on a dropped fly ball by Travis Check.

Hughes reached in the final frame on his one-out single up the middle and then scored all the way from first base on Joseph Newman's deep fly ball to center field. The victory extends the Sooners' winning streak to three games and pushed their overall record above .500 for the first time this season.

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“I am proud of the way we played this weekend because our team was given a different opportunity to win all three games,” said OU head coach Sunny Gollloway. “Friday was a close 1-0 ball game with a solid pitching performance and yesterday our offense really played well. So, it was nice to see our guys come back for the win today after losing the lead in the ninth. This is a talented group of athletes and we continue to get better with each game.”

Sophomore Nich Conaway earned his second win of the season after recording the final out in the ninth inning. WIU's Todd Nelson (1-1) took the loss after pitching the final 1 1/3 inning.

After Western Illinois tied the game at four runs apiece in the sixth inning, junior Joe Dunigan gave the Sooners a 5-4 lead on a solo home run down the right-field line. Dunigan finished the game with his second consecutive multiple-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

In the eighth frame, OU appeared to put the game out of reach with a RBI single by junior Vinny Biancamano to put OU ahead 6-4, but the Leathernecks tagged freshman closer Garrett Richards with two runs off three hits in the ninth. Richards sat down the first WIU batters in the ninth inning before giving up two doubles and a single.

Freshman Aaron Baker extended his team-high hitting streak to nine games with a RBI single in the fifth frame. The Denton, Texas, native finished the weekend series with a .583 batting average (7-for-12), five RBIs, a homer and two doubles.

OU returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. against Wichita State at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Following Wednesday's game with the Shockers, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 27, the Sooners will continue their current nine-game home stand with a three-game series next weekend against UC Riverside.

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