Baseball Extends Win Streak to Nine

No. 15 OU 16, Mississippi State 5 | Box Score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
MSU	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	5	8	0
OU	6	2	3	2	0	0	1	2	X	16	19	1

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Neal (2-0)	6.1	6	4	3	1	8
L - Routt (0-1)	1.1	7	8	8	2	2
SV - none	-	-	-	-	-	-

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Seitzer	3	2	3	5	0	0
MSU - Powers	4	0	2	2	0	0

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March 12, 2010

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas. -- The No. 15 Sooners won their ninth straight game and opened the Whataburger Collegiate Classic with an easy 16-5 victory over Mississippi State on Friday.

It was the first meeting between the two since the 1992 NCAA Regional in Starkeville and third overall, which OU leads 2-1.

The Sooners (14-1) received contributions up and down the order and chased MSU starter Nick Routt (0-1) after just 1 1/3 innings. OU scored in each of the first four frames including a game-high six in the first as Routt (eight runs, seven hits) and Mississippi State (9-4) surrendered runs early and often in its first game away from home in 2010. The Bulldogs' five-game winning streak was snapped.

The 13-2 lead after four was more than enough for Oklahoma starter Zach Neal to cruise to his second straight. Neal (2-0) tied his season high set last week with eight strikeouts on Friday and lasted 6 1/3 innings with three earned runs off six hits and a walk.

"We've been getting after our guys about throwing that first punch after all those one-run games last week," said OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway. "I was glad to see today we came out and took control early."

The Sooner offense exploded in the first and it hit through the order for the fourth time this year to plate six runs off five hits. OU has scored in the first inning in three straight games as Ross Hubbard highlighted the frame with a three-run double to the gap in right center field. Chris Ellison, who finished with a season-high three hits, collected two infield singles in the first.

Hubbard, along with Cameron Seitzer's career-high five RBIs off three hits, paced the OU offense which has scored in double digits five times this season while recording 10 or more hits in 11 contests.

After Mississippi State added another run in the top of the second to cut the lead to 6-2, Hubbard responded again for the Sooners and tied a career high with four RBIs following a sacrifice fly to center field.

Seitzer continued the onslaught and cleared the bases with a three-run double down the left-field line in the third.

Drew Harrison, who finished second in the Home Run Derby on Thursday night, capped off the scoring with a two-run opposite field homer. It marked the second homer of the season for the freshman and the eighth straight game that the Sooners have connected for at least one dinger. OU has 11 homers in the last eight games and leads the Big 12 with 21.

At game's end, the Sooners finished with a season-best 19 hits and its second highest run total behind the 17 scored at San Diego State. Eight of the nine Sooners in the starting lineup had base knocks and three others collected hits.

OU continues action in the Whataburger College Classic on Saturday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1 p.m. The Sooners Bobby Shore (2-0, 2.55 ERA) will start opposite the Islanders' Ian Campbell (1-1, 6.57 ERA).

The game will be broadcast live on the Sooner Sports Network, KREF 1400 AM and free online at SoonerSports.com.