Casey Johnson Delivers Walk-Off Hit

May 3, 2009

No. 9 OU 10, KU 9 | Box Score |

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H
KU	2	0	3	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	9	6
OU	6	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	10	13

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Duke (3-1)	3.0	0	0	0	1	2
L - Murray (2-2)	2.2	2	1	1	0	3
S - none	-	-	-	-	-	-

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Haruhgty	5	1	2	2	0	1
OU - Buechele	5	1	2	2	0	0

GAME NOTES
With six runs in the first inning, OU has tallied five or more scores in a single frame on 16 occasions this season ... The Sooners are 13-1 when the score at least five runs in an inning in 2009 ... J.R. Robinson turned in his longest outing (four innings) since March 30 against Nebraska where he tossed six innings in a start ... OU has scored 10 or more runs in 18 games this year and is undefeated in that span ... The Sooners also collected their 28th double-digit hit performance (24-4 in those games) ... The Sooners have homered in 20 of the last 25 games with 54 in that span ... OU owns 46 homers in Big 12 play and have went yard in 16 of the 21 conference games ... OU is 3-1 in extra innings this season and 15-2-1 all-time under head coach Sunny Golloway ... The comeback victory was the Sooners' 17th this season and 81st with Golloway at the helm.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- Casey Johnson came off the bench and connected for an RBI double in the 10th inning as No. 9 Oklahoma avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Kansas with a 10-9 win.

Ryan Duke bounced back from a blown save on Tuesday and pitched three solid innings in relief to nail down the win. Duke was nearly perfect in his second longest outing of the year, allowing just one walk while striking out two Jayhawks to improve to 3-1. The shutout baseball paved the way for OU's offense to rally from a 9-7 deficit after the top of the seventh inning.

“The way our guys fought back, even after we gave up the lead 9-7, to come back and win, I thought was really huge,” said OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway. “It showed a lot of mental toughness and it wasn't easy by any stretch.”

Casey Johnson's walk-off hit was set up after OU tied the game at nine in the seventh inning off RBI singles by Garrett Buechele and Tyler Ogle.

Three innings later, Ogle scored the game-winning run after getting plunked by Colton Murray (2-2) with one out in the 10th. Ogle was one of three Sooners to drive in two runs during Sunday's finale. Buechele and Matt Harughty each had two RBIs and two base hits to help pace the 13-hit outing by Oklahoma. In addition, Jamie Johnson and Bryant Hernandez each drove in a run off two hits.

The Sooners improved to 34-14 overall and 12-9 in Big 12 play and ended the Jayhawks' (34-15, 12-9) seven-game winning streak in the all-time series. OU and Kansas are tied for fifth place in the conference standings with two weekends left to play and sit behind Texas (15-8-1), Texas A&M (13-8), Kansas State (12-7-1) and Missouri (14-10).

“The Big 12 race is tight,” added Golloway. “Every game is very important. We understand that and we have talked to our team about that.”

OU has two conference series remaining with Oklahoma State in Tulsa and Oklahoma City and then Texas A&M at home in the final weekend.

On Sunday, the Jayhawks struck first for the third straight game in the series and took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. OU allowed nine runs combined in the first frame during the Kansas series and the two-runs on Sunday chased Stephen Porlier out of the contest early. Fortunately, OU countered in the bottom half of the frame and took a 6-2 lead.

The Sooners' offense was revived on Sunday after being limited to nine runs in the first two games. OU started things off in the first with Harughty's two-run homer. The blast, Harughty's eighth and second in as many days, came after Jamie Johnson led off the game with a hit by pitch delivered by Lee Ridenhour. Buechele, Ogle, Kaleb Herren and Jamie Johnson each drove in runs after the homer as OU batted through the lineup for the 19th time this season.

“It was absolutely necessary (scoring six runs),” said Golloway. “In the three-game series, we gave up four runs, three runs, and two runs in the first inning to our opponent. We needed the six runs. We've been playing behind the whole weekend.”

Kansas countered after both teams were held scoreless in the second inning. In the top of third, Tony Thompson delivered the first of his two, three-run dingers in the game and brought KU within a run. The second blast came in the top of the fifth and gave the Jayhawks a 9-7 lead.

Duke's performance came after Michael Rocha held KU scoreless off one hit and a walk in 2 2/3 innings of action.

OU returns to action on Monday to host Southern Utah at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Sooner Sports Network, KOKC 1520 AM. The midweek contest marks the final $.50 hot dog and coke night at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

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