Sooners Fail to Capitalize in Opener

No. 3 TCU

Oklahoma

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Highlights

Box Score

Notes

Line Score
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
TCU	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	5	7	1
OU	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	4	12	2

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - T. Evans (1-0)	0.1	1	0	0	0	0
L - J. Evans (5-1)	2.1	2	1	0	2	2
S - Ferrell (13)	1.0	0	0	0	2	2

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Hermelyn	5	0	3	3	0	0
TCU - C. Jones	4	1	2	1	1	1
TCU - K. Jones	4	1	2	1	0	1

NORMAN, Okla. – The Big 12 regular season title was decided by a run as the University of Oklahoma baseball team fell to No. 3 TCU in front of 1,113 at L. Dale Mitchell Park on Thursday night. The Sooners, who led 4-2 in the game, dropped to 32-23 overall and 13-9, while the Horned Frogs claimed the crown with a 41-9 and 16-5 mark.

In the top of the ninth and the score tied, TCU started its rally with a one-out singles by third baseman Derek Odell and shortstop Keaton Jones to put runners on the corners. After a pitching change for a righty-righty match-up Jones stole second and the throw from home bounced into center; allowing Odell to score the go-ahead run.

Right-hander Riley Ferrell pitched the bottom of the ninth to record his 13^th save of the season. Redshirt-senior right fielder Taylor Alspaugh (Broken Arrow, Okla.) drew a lead-off walk and sophomore shortstop Sheldon Neuse (Fort Worth, Texas) walked with two away, but Ferrell picked up two strikeouts and got a groundball to second to end the game.

Oklahoma went out in front with a run in the first. Junior center fielder Craig Aikin (Coppell, Texas) led off with a hit-by-pitch and junior second baseman Kolbey Carpenter (Waco, Texas) singled up the middle to move Aikin to third. Junior catcher Anthony Hermelyn (McKinney, Texas) then put the Sooners on the board with a single through the left-side for his 40^th RBI of the season. TCU escaped without further damage after Neuse hit into a 5-5-3 double play.

Center fielder Cody Jones, who led off the game with a single, tied the game in the third on a solo home run to right field; breaking a streak of nine in a row retired by OU sophomore right-hander Jake Elliott (Coppell, Texas). The Horned Frogs took their first lead of the night in the fifth as Odell doubled in a run on a ball off the wall in straight-away center.

Junior left fielder Hunter Haley (Nacogdoches, Texas) started off the home half of the fifth with a single in the hole to short, but was erased on a failed sacrifice attempt by freshman third baseman Kyle Mendenhall (Carlsbad, Calif.). Mendenhall advanced on a failed pick-off attempt and went to third on a passed ball, which allowed Aikin to reach on a strikeout. Alspaugh tied the game with a soft-liner into left and Hermelyn put Oklahoma back in front with a two-run base hit up the middle.

TCU cut the lead in half in the sixth without the benefit of a hit as a lead-off walk to designated hitter Connor Wanhanen would wind up scoring from second on a throwing error. The Horned Frogs then tied the game in the seventh on a solo shot to left by Keaton Jones.

Elliott pitched 6.1 innings in the no-decision. He gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits and four walks to go with five strikeouts. For TCU, lefty Alex Young went six innings and was tagged for four runs on nine hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

Right-hander Travis Evans (1-0) got the win in just 0.1 inning of work. Junior lefty Jacob Evans (Broken Arrow, Okla.) took the loss and dropped to 5-1 in a 2.1-inning relief outing. He allowed one unearned run on two hits and two walks, while striking out a pair.

Hermelyn powered the Sooner offense with a 3-for-5 night and drove in three runs. Aikin, who scored twice, Carpenter and Haley all added two-hit performances. For the game, Oklahoma outhit TCU, 12-7.

Game two of the series is set for 6:00 pm Friday night. Redshirt-senior right-hander Robert Tasin (Klein, Texas) toes the rubber for the Sooners.

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Players Mentioned

Craig Aikin

Taylor Alspaugh

Kolbey Carpenter

Jake Elliott

Jacob Evans

Hunter Haley

Anthony Hermelyn

Kyle Mendenhall

Sheldon Neuse

Robert Tasin

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University of Oklahoma Athletics