Panthers Snap Sooners' Streak at 10

March 15, 2009

Eastern Illinois 8, No. 15 OU 6 | Box Score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
OU	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	6	8	1
EIU	3	1	3	0	0	1	0	0	X	8	16	2

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Recchia (3-0)	6.0	4	2	1	4	4
L - Richards (1-1)	2.0	10	7	6	1	1
S - Kreke (1)	1.2	1	1	1	0	1

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Blair	2	1	1	3	0	1
EIU - Derbak	4	1	3	2	0	0

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TAMPA, Fla. -- The Sooners' late inning heroics weren't enough against Eastern Illinois in the final game of the USF Bulls Baseball Classic on Sunday. The Panthers won 8-6 and swept the competition over the weekend to win the tournament.

Besides the midway point of the first inning, the Sooners trailed throughout and found themselves down 8-2 after seven innings. At that point, the Sooners went to work on offense with four runs in the eighth. Elliott Blair cleared the fence in left field to cap off the scoring in the frame. The three-run blast, Blair's first of the year, brought home Cameron Seitzer and Garrett Buechele after J.T. Wise scored on a wild pitch.

However, the rally fell short and the Sooners' winning streak was halted at 10 games. Eastern Illinois improved to 9-4 while OU fell to 17-4 after allowing a season-high 16 hits. The Sooner offense, one day removed from a 10-run

“It's a disappointing loss, but you have to give (Mike) Recchia and Eastern Illinois credit,” said OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway. “He (Recchia) pitched a heck of a game and really shut us down.

“I was proud of the way our offense rallied at the end. However, it is clear that we have some things to sure up before Big 12 play opens next weekend.”

While Recchia improved to 3-0 with six innings of four-hit ball that included one earned run and four walks, OU starter Garrett Richards struggled to get out of the third inning. Richards (1-1) was tagged for seven runs, six earned, off 10 hits and a walk in two innings pitched.

In the top of the first, OU took a 1-0 lead after two Eastern Illinois errors. Casey Johnson reached first on an errant throw by second baseman Jordan Tokarz and advanced to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run with Aaron Baker's infield single. Not only did the hit put Johnson on third, but another errant throw, this time by shortstop by Jordan Kreke, scored the first run of the game.

The Sooners' lead was short lived as Eastern Illinois came back with three runs in the bottom of the first. Brett Nommenson homered to lead off the game for the Panthers and an error sandwiched between back-to-back RBI singles made it 3-1.

Eastern Illinois connected for back-to-back doubles in the second inning, both with two outs, to increase the advantage to 4-1.

In the top of the third, Oklahoma narrowed the gap to two runs after Bryant Hernandez plated Jamie Johnson on a sacrifice fly to center field.

The Panthers quickly countered in the bottom of the third with another trio of runs off OU starter Garrett Richards. The Panthers started the frame with four consecutive hits, including a RBI double by Zach Borenstein. Tyson Seng came out of the bullpen for the Sooners to stop the bleeding and recorded the final two outs of the inning.

Seng was the first of four Sooner relievers to see action on Sunday. The quartet of hurlers limited EIU to one run off six hits and zero walks in six innings. Mehdi Djebbar made his OU debut and tossed 2/3 of an inning and was followed by Chase Anderson and Ryan Duke, who both tossed a scoreless inning with one hit allowed. and one strikeout.

The Sooners return home before heading to Fort Worth, Texas to battle No. 12 TCU on Tuesday, March 17. Following the non-conference game, OU opens Big 12 play at Kansas State on Friday, March 20 for a three-game set in Manhattan, Kan.

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