Rocha, Sooners Top Oakland, 7-5

Feb. 25, 2011

Oklahoma 7, Oakland 5
Box Score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
OAK	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	0	5	10	1
OU	0	3	0	0	1	2	0	1	X	7	13	5

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Rocha (2-0)	7	7	2	2	0	7
L - Welke (0-1)	4.2	5	4	3	0	1

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Buechele	4	0	2	2	1	0
OAK - Dunham	4	0	2	1	0	0

Game Notes
Garrett Buechele leads the Big 12 with 12 RBIs, including seven in the last two games ... Jack Mayfield has seven hits and seven RBIs in the last four games, eclipsing the amount of runs he drove in last season (6) ... Erik Ross tied his 2010 RBI total on Friday with his eighth run driven in ... Tyler Ogle threw out two base runners on Friday and has caught five of 10 potential base stealers on the season.

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NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 4 Oklahoma baseball team continued its hot start with a 7-5 win over Oakland University Friday. Starting pitcher Michael Rocha tied a career-high with seven strikeouts en route to his second win of the season.

“Outstanding,” said OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway on Rocha's performance. “He's clearly a Friday night guy. He lets his experience speak for itself.”

Rocha and the Sooners improved to 7-0 while Oakland dropped to 0-1 after its season opener.

For the fifth straight game, the OU offense posted double-digit hits with 13 on the afternoon. Garrett Buechele, Jack Mayfield and Max White each collected two hits and combined to drive in five of the team's seven runs.

The Sooners got off to a fast start, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second off Oakland starter Greg Welke (0-1). The first run came across on Mayfield's RBI single and was followed by a squeeze bunt by Erik Ross to score Chris Ellison from third and White capped off the scoring in the frame with a RBI single to right-center field.

Oakland quickly responded with a run in the top of the third, the first of two scored of Rocha, who lasted seven innings for the second straight start and did not walk a batter. The senior captain also eclipsed the 100-pitch total for the fifth time in his career.

While Rocha blanked the Grizzlies in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, the OU offense extended its lead to 6-1. A catcher's interference by Oklahoma in the fifth inning plated a Sooner run scored with Tyler Ogle at the plate and the bases loaded.

In the sixth, White drove in his second run of the game on a RBI groundout and Buechele gave OU a five-run lead on a RBI single.

Oakland made its move in the eighth inning after scoring one last run off Rocha in the seventh. Two Sooner errors allowed the Grizzlies to score three runs in the frame.

Leading 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Buechele added on to his Big 12 RBI lead with his 12th of the year on a single through the middle of the infield.

Senior Tyson Seng closed out the game for Oklahoma and picked up his first career save.

OU's three-game weekend series with Oakland continues Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT. OU's Bobby Shore will start opposite Oakland's Aaron Wick.

Oklahoma will celebrate “Hoops and Hardball” on Saturday. Fans that present their OU men's basketball ticket at L. Dale Mitchell Park will receive $4 admission.

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