Hermelyn?s Homer Salvages Series

No. 11 Oklahoma State

No. 25 Oklahoma

Highlights

Photo Gallery

Box Score

Notes

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

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Evans (5-0)	3.1	1	1	1	1	4
L - Nurdin (2-3)	0.2	2	2	2	0	0
S - Garza (2)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Hermelyn	4	1	1	4	0	1
OU - Carpenter	4	1	2	0	0	0
OSU - Walton	4	1	1	2	0	1

Player of the Game
Anthony Hermelyn // Jr. // C Hermelyn drove in the first and third Sooner runs on groundball outs before hitting the game-winning two run homer in the seventh.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Junior catcher Anthony Hermelyn (McKinney, Texas) matched his career-high in RBI with four, capped off by a two-run home run in the seventh to give the No. 25 University of Oklahoma baseball team a 5-3 win over No. 11 Oklahoma State in front of 5,625 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Sunday evening. The Sooners snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 30-21 overall and 11-7 in the Big 12, while the Cowboys dropped to 31-15 and 14-7.

“It kind of just flipped a switch for us,” reflected Hermelyn. “Everything had kind of been going against us. Carpenter had a great at-bat with two outs and nobody on. Fortunately, I was able to get a good pitch and get a good swing on it. When it went over, it was just kind of a sense of relief.”

Hermelyn drove in the first OU run of the game in the first inning with a RBI-groundout that brought in redshirt-senior right fielder Taylor Alspaugh (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who had walked and went to third on a double by junior second baseman Kolbey Carpenter (Waco, Texas). Hermelyn's second RBI of the game came in the bottom of the fifth after OSU had tied the game, 2-2, on a two-run homer by shortstop Donnie Walton. Junior center fielder Craig Aikin (Coppell, Texas) beat out an infield-single to short, advanced on a sacrifice and got to third on a balk where he scored on a second RBI-groundout by Hermelyn.

“It is contagious. When it is going good, it is contagious and when it is going bad, it is contagious,” stated head coach Pete Hughes. “I thought the big inning for us was after Walton's home run when we responded and got one run. It was not the 'here-we-go-again' mentality that you slip into every once and a while. It was let's answer and get back on the board. We went up 3-2 and it was critical.”

The Cowboys responded again in the top of the sixth as center fielder Ryan Sluder cranked a home run, his second of the series, into the left field bullpen on the first pitch of the frame.

Junior left-hander Jacob Evans (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who entered with two down in the fifth, allowed the homer to Sluder, but quickly recovered as it was the only hit he allowed in 3.1 innings of relief to earn the win. Evans (5-0) struck out four and walked just one on 52 pitches. Junior right-hander Ralph Garza Jr. (New Braunfels, Texas) replaced Evans in the ninth and locked down his second save of the season by striking out the side.

“They are awesome,” commented Hughes on his veteran relievers. “Very rarely do we get to game three in a weekend where we have Jacob Evans and Ralph Garza [available]. That does not happen if Jeff Curran does not come out Friday night and get extended and protect the bullpen. I thought Ralph was electric, but just the presence of Jacob; he let up a homerun and he just gets back in the zone to get his outs. [It's] very calming and effective when both those guys who love to throw strikes compete on the mound.”

For Oklahoma State, RHP Carson LaRue lasted just 1.2 innings in the start and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Lefty Tyler Nurdin (2-3) took the loss in 0.2 innings as he gave up a two-out single to Carpenter followed by the Hermelyn home run. In between, right-hander Trey Cobb was solid for 4.1 innings of one-run, one-hit ball with four strikeouts.

Redshirt-senior right-hander Robert Tasin (Klein, Texas) pitched 4.2 innings in a no-decision for Oklahoma. He surrendered two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out five.

Carpenter and junior designated hitter Chris Shaw (Winnipeg, Man.) posted the only two-hit days in either lineup.

The Sooners are off in the midweek and return to action next Friday, May 8 at Kansas State.

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Players Mentioned

Craig Aikin

Taylor Alspaugh

Kolbey Carpenter

Jacob Evans

Jacob Evans

Ralph Garza Jr.

Anthony Hermelyn

Anthony Hermelyn

Chris Shaw

Robert Tasin

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics