Sooners Sweep Roadrunners

Sunday, March 13

Norman

Noon

University of Oklahoma

8-5

UTSA

10-4

UTSA

Oklahoma

Photo by: Josh Gateley

March 13, 2022 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score Photo Gallery

NORMAN – Led by stellar starts from David Sandlin and Chazz Martinez and a steady offensive output, the Oklahoma baseball team swept its doubleheader against UTSA with 8-3 and 9-5 victories Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The Sooners (9-5), which won the series opener 10-5 on Saturday, have now won four in a row. UTSA (10-5) entered the weekend averaging 9.5 runs per game, but OU held the Roadrunners to 13 total runs in the three-game set.

In the first game on Sunday, Sandlin took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and pitched 8.0 shutout frames before exiting the game after a leadoff double in the ninth inning. He struck out six and allowed just two hits and a walk. Martinez went 7.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits.

OU put up big innings early in both ends of the doubleheader – four runs in the third inning of game one, and four runs in the second inning of game two – and kept adding runs throughout the contests.

"I thought Sandlin was outstanding in the first game," Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. "Our offense gave us a chance to let him go out and do what he does, and (it was) the same (in) the second game. Sandlin kind of kept them off-balance the whole day and made pitches when he had to make pitches."

"I think the difference was they took the momentum in the eighth (inning of game two), and then we came back and scored two runs which was huge for us. We haven't done that all year," Johnson continued. "That was really good, and Trevin was outstanding in the ninth."

Oklahoma 8, UTSA 3

Sandlin (2-2) was working on a gem in the first game. He retired the first nine batters of the game before a leadoff walk in the fourth. The first hit – a leadoff double in the sixth inning – was a pop up blown by the 20-25 mile-per-hour winds and landed in the triangle in center field. Sandlin responded by retiring the next nine batters in a row.

Oklahoma struck first with an RBI single by Brett Squires in the second inning, then put up four runs in the third on four singles, a bases-loaded walk and a double play. The top four hitters in the lineup singled, including RBIs by Blake Robertson and Jimmy Crooks, and Cade Horton drew a walk with the bases loaded.

In the fourth inning, Jackson Nicklaus hit his second home run of the season, cutting through the south wind to clear the right field wall. Squires provided an RBI single in the fifth and Pettis stole home with runners on the corners in the seventh inning to make it 8-0, Sooners.

All three of UTSA's runs came in the ninth inning on a two-run double by Chase Keng and a single by Ryan Flores. Starter Ulises Quiroga (1-2) took the loss.

Oklahoma 9, UTSA 5

Kendall Pettis launched his second home run of the season, a two-run shot that landed among the trees atop the berm in left field, to cap a four-run second inning. Squires and Hudson Polk preceded the homer with RBI singles. Crooks scored in the third inning when the throw to first on an infield single by Diego Muniz got away toward the first base dugout.

After allowing an RBI single in the third inning, Martinez (2-1) turned back eight straight and 11 of the next 12 batters. He induced 14 fly ball outs and closed the outing with two strikeouts to strand a one-out single in the seventh.

The Sooners tacked on a run in the fifth inning when Nicklaus doubled and scored on a groundout by Robertson, and another in the sixth when Horton scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-1.

UTSA cut the lead to 7-5 with four runs in the top of the eighth on a double by Shane Sirdashney, a two-run double by Leyton Barry and a walk. OU responded with two runs in the bottom half to make the score 9-5. Sebastian Orduno doubled into the right field corner to plate a run and scored on a sacrifice fly by Robertson.

Trevin Michael got the last four outs and was perfect in the ninth to earn his third save.

Nicklaus (3 for 5 in game one) notched four hits and scored three runs, and Squires registered four hits and three RBIs in the two games combined.

Oklahoma continues its homestand this week by hosting Air Force for two midweek games and New Orleans for a three-game series Friday through Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Game times for the Air Force set are 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 2 p.m. Wednesday.