OU Drops Big 12 Opener at KSU

March 20, 2009

Kansas State 9, No. 13 OU 1 | Box Score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
OU	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	7	1
KSU	0	0	0	0	0	5	1	3	X	9	10	0

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Morris (6-0)	8.0	4	0	0	2	12
L - Doyle (2-2)	5.2	6	5	5	2	2
S - none	-	-	-	-	-	-

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Buechele	4	0	3	0	0	0
KSU - Muenster	3	2	3	2	1	1

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MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The No. 13 OU baseball team and Kansas State were scoreless for the first five frames on Friday at Tointon Stadium but the Wildcats broke things open with five runs in the sixth inning en route to a 9-1 victory.

The game marked the Big 12 opener for both squads as OU fell to 18-5 overall and KSU improved to 18-3. The Wildcats are ranked No. 26 by Collegiate Baseball and have won their last seven games.

“It's a very disappointing loss but its only one game and we have to come back tomorrow and even things up,” said OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway. “We play in a very tough conference and tonight's game is evidence of that. Give A.J. (Morris) credit for shutting our hitters down. He pitched a very solid game and will win some Big 12 games this year.”

KSU starter A.J. Morris tossed eight innings of four-hit baseball and recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts. Morris improved to 6-0 on the season and Andrew Doyle took the loss for the Sooners after allowing five runs off six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Behind a solid pitching performance by Morris, the Wildcats have won five straight series openers over the Sooners.

Aaron Baker led off the top of the second with a single and after J.T. Wise drew a walk, Cameron Seitzer loaded the bases with a single to center field. Despite loading the bases with nobody out, the Sooners squandered the scoring opportunity with a double play to end the inning.

“That was a key point in the game,” added Golloway. “We have to capitalize on those opportunities. Especially that early in the game as Doyle was pitching very well.”

KSU returned the favor in the bottom half of the frame and put runners on first and second with zero outs. The Wildcats tried to move up the runners on Drew Biery's bunt, but catcher J.T. Wise snapped a throw over to third base and eliminated the lead runner. The following batter, Jordan Cruz, grounded into a double play to end the threat.

Doyle was not as lucky in the bottom of the sixth as Kansas State batted around the lineup and scored took a 5-0 lead on back-to-back RBI singles by Dane Yelovich and Carter Jurica. Jason King's sacrifice fly to right marked the third run of the frame and after C.J. Blue relieved Doyle, Jordan Cruz drove in two runs on a single to center field.

Kansas State pounded out 10 hits and was led by Adam Muenster (3-for-3, two runs, two RBIs), who homered in the seventh and was joined by Jason King who had two hits and two RBIs.

The Sooners avoided the shutout in the ninth as J.T. Wise extended his hitting streak to eight games on a RBI single to right-center field. Garrett Buechele provided the other bright spot for the OU offense with three of the team's seven hits.

Oklahoma and Kansas State resume the series on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. The game can be heard on Oklahoma All-Access and seen live on Cox channel 7 in Oklahoma City and Cox channel 3 in Tulsa.

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