Completed Event: Baseball versus (3) Georgia on June 15, 2026 , Win , 4, to, 3
Final
Baseball
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Relies On Late-Inning Heroics For Thrilling 6-5 Win Over Oral Roberts :: Sooners tally two runs in ninth inning to top Golden Eagles.
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Charlie Frasier hit a clutch RBI single in the ninth inning to tie the game, and OU eventually topped Oral Roberts 6-5 on Friday night. |
April 20, 2002
NORMAN, Okla. - Down a run entering the ninth inning, the never-say-die Oklahoma baseball team manufactured two runs and earned a thrilling 6-5 win over Oral Roberts on Saturday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park. After a rain delay of nearly an hour, the Golden Eagles scored four runs in the first inning. But with dominating pitching performances by Buddy Blair and Evan Greusel, and the clutch bats of Matt Bose and Charlie Frasier, OU rallied to tie the game and eventually win on a bases-loaded wild pitch by ORU reliever Trey Stephens.
All six of Oklahoma's runs in the game came with two outs and Evan Greusel moved to 4-2 on the season, after pitching 2.1 innings of shutout ball. Buddy Blair came on in relief of OU starter Jarod McAuliff, and made arguably his best performance of the season, going 5.2 innings, allowing just one unearned run on four hits and striking out five. The clutch victory gives OU a two-games-to-none lead in the series with in-state rival Oral Roberts, and moves the Sooners to 23-16 on the season.
"This was a really great win for us tonight," said Oklahoma head coach Larry Cochell. "We were down, but our guys never stopped fighting and they never gave up. We always tell the team that to win, you have to make plays and make the pitches when they count. We did that tonight and we're excited about this win. I thought Buddy Blair pitched a great game, which was real important for both him and the team. He's such a hard worker, so it was nice to see him do well. (Charlie) Frasier had an outstanding at-bat and really came up with a big hit in the ninth. We'd like to thank the fans who stuck around for almost four hours and helped us notch this win."
ORU took an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, one coming when Chad Stewart drew a bases-loaded walk and two more on a Billy Joe Richardson base hit to right McAuliff made 50 pitches in the first frame. Oklahoma inched back when Jason Fransz belted his team-high ninth home run on the year in the bottom of the first.
The Sooners scored two runs in the third as Luke Alexander roped a double down the right field line, which brought Reggie Willits and Jason Fransz home and made the game 4-3. Oklahoma tied the game at four in the sixth inning as Brandon Jones knocked a full-count pitch into center, scoring Charlie Frasier.
ORU tallied a run in the seventh to go up 5-4 and escaped the inning unscathed after Oklahoma loaded the bases in the seventh. But the Sooners' dramatic ninth inning was still yet to come.
Eddie Cornejo led off the inning with a single and moved to second when Alexander drew a bases on balls. Redshirt freshman Blair Robinson was inserted as a pinch runner for Alexander and with two outs, Charlie Frasier roped a 1-2 pitch into center field, scoring Cornejo and evening the game at five. A wild pitch moved Robinson to third base and Frasier to second, and Matt Bose walked to load the bases. With Matt Fisher at bat, Stephens threw a wild pitch to the backstop and Robinson slid home for the winning run.
After catching two touchdown passes in OU's Red-White football scrimmage on Saturday, Jones went 2-for-4 with the game-tying RBI. Fransz scored two runs and Alexander drove in two.
OU will again face Oral Roberts on Sunday at 3 p.m. David Purcey (2-2, 2.58 ERA) will make his second career start for Oklahoma, while Rene Recio (6-3, 1.95 ERA) will pitch for ORU.
