Baseball Falls to Oral Roberts in Extras

Oklahoma

Oral Roberts

Box Score

Highlights

Photos

Line Score
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
ORU	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	4	8	0
OU	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	1

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
WP - Swift (2-0)	2.0	1	0	0	2	1
LP - Ruffcorn (0-1)	1.2	0	0	0	0	0
SV - Henson (2)	1.0	1	0	0	1	3

IndiInvidual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB
OU - Ware	4	0	1	1	1
OU - Muniz	3	1	0	0	3

NORMAN – Freshman Ben Abram struck out a career-high nine batters over 7.0 frames, but the Oklahoma baseball team fell to Oral Roberts 4-2 in 11 innings Tuesday evening at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The Sooners (22-8) went ahead 2-1 in the third inning and held the lead until the eighth when the Golden Eagles (14-12) hit a solo home run to tie the game. Third baseman Brylie Ware and first baseman Tyler Hardman drove in runs, and left fielder Diego Muniz drew three walks and scored a run for OU.

Abram's start was his longest of the season. He allowed three hits and one walk in the first two innings, then retired the final 16 batters he faced, turning back the side in order in five straight frames.

“Ben stayed with it and got back in and gave us a chance to win,” Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. “It's an amateur game played by a bunch of kids that are trying really hard to perform. When you try at something in this game, you fail. The amazing thing about baseball is it only gives you an opportunity. The obstacle in that opportunity is to be in control of yourself one pitch at a time. We have to go back to fundamentals, go back to square one and (remember) how to separate balls from strikes.”

Oklahoma scored in the first inning when Ware drove a double down the left field line, scoring shortstop Brandon Zaragoza from first base. Oral Roberts tied it in the second inning on a solo home run by catcher Riley Keizor, but the Sooners took the lead again in the third on a sacrifice fly by Hardman. ORU tied it again in the eighth inning on a home run by center fielder Blake Hall.

The Sooners pitchers, which totaled 14 strikeouts in the game, retired 18 straight batters until the eighth inning home run. In the 11th inning, a pair of RBI singles scored runners from second base to give Oral Roberts the two-run lead. OU put runners in scoring position in the last two frames but were unable to push a run across.

Junior Jason Ruffcorn (0-1) took the loss for OU while Hunter Swift (2-0) earned the win and Spencer Henson picked up his second save for ORU.

The Sooners host TCU for a three-game Big 12 series this weekend at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Game times are 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.