Baseball | 2/24/2016 8:27:00 PM
Box Score NORMAN, Okla. – The 25th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners scored four runs in the fourth inning and took advantage of nine walks by the ACU pitching staff Wednesday afternoon to take a 7-1 win over the Wildcats in non-conference baseball action at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 4-1 on the young season, while the Sooners improve to 3-2 in 2016 and 3-0 all-time against the Wildcats. ACU will be back in action this weekend when it hosts Northeastern (Mass.) in a four-game set at Crutcher Scott Field. The Huskies split a season-opening series at OU last weekend.
OU led 2-0 after three innings before ACU cut the lead in half with a run in the top of the fourth on a squeeze bunt by
Braxton Wilks that drove in
Hunter Markwardt with what would be the Wildcats' only run of the day.
The Sooners, though, put the game away by collecting four runs on four hits against ACU starting pitcher
Nate Cole (0-1). Kyle Mendenhall collected the hit that broke the game open when he lined a 3-2 pitch from Cole down the right field line for a three-run double. The Soooners' other run came on a double from Sheldon Neuse that drove in Cody Thomas to make it 6-1.
The Wildcats didn't threaten to score the rest of the night as OU's pitching staff limited ACU to just five hits (all singles) on the day. The Wildcats, in fact, had just eight baserunners in the game, thanks to the five hits, two walks and one hit batter.
ACU's pitching staff, meanwhile, gave up 11 hits (three extra-base hits) and nine walks, although the relief crew of
Joseph Goetze ,
Collin Dudley,
Zach Kornely,
Bryce Welborn and
David Ruot only allowed three hits, one run and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of work.
