March 29, 2013

Jayhawks Fall to No. 11 Oklahoma in Extra Innings, 2-1

March 29, 2013

#11 Oklahoma 2, Kansas 1 (10 inn.)
L. Dale Mitchell Park//Norman, Okla.

Junior Ka’iana Eldredge scored KU’s lone run after an infield single and an error in the seventh inning.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R
KU	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
OU	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2

Box Score (.pdf)

Leaders – Batting
Kansas	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
D. Smith	5	0	2	0	0	0
K. Eldredge	3	1	0	0	1	0
Oklahoma	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
K. Carpenter	4	1	1	1	0	1
M. Oberste	4	0	1	1	0	0

Pitching
Kansas	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
T. Taylor	8.2	5	1	1	2	4
J. Piche (L)	1.0	3	1	1	0	0
Oklahoma	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
D. Overton	6.1	4	1	0	2	6
J. Evans (W)	3.2	0	0	0	0	2

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma first baseman Matt Oberste’s sacrifice fly to center field with one out in the top of the 10^th lifted the No. 11 Sooners past Kansas, 2-1 in 10 innings, Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The Sooners claim their sixth extra-inning win of the season, including third in Big 12 play, to improve to 25-4 overall and 5-0 in the conference. The Jayhawks fall to 14-10 overall and 2-3 in league play.

After left fielder Hunter Haley started the Oklahoma 10^th with a single to right, the Sooners loaded the bases with nobody out on a pair of bunt singles against KU relief pitcher Jordan Piché. Piché did record one out on a popup in the infield, however Oberste’s fly ball to center field plated Haley and won the game in walk-off fashion.

The OU run was just the second allowed by Piché this season, while the Sooners handed the Kansas reliever his first setback.

Kansas trailed early after a solo homer in the second inning by Kolbey Carpenter. However, the Jayhawks tied the score at one in the seventh. After catcher Ka’iana Eldredge walked and stole second, sophomore Justin Protacio reached on an infield hit, while a wild throw by OU shortstop Jack Mayfield allowed Eldredge to score from third.

However, that was the last KU baserunner for the night. Oklahoma relief pitcher Jacob Evans retired all 11 men he faced to earn his fifth victory of the season.

Kansas senior pitcher Thomas Taylor made one bad pitch, but enjoyed one of his best outings of the season. The 6-foot-4 righty allowed one run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings. Since the beginning of March, Taylor has allowed just one earned run over 31 2/3 innings.

The senior’s four strikeouts also moved him up in the Kansas record books. Taylor now has 203 strikeouts in his career, moving him past Don Czyz (200) and Pete Smart (202), for eighth all-time at KU.

Sophomore Dakota Smith led the KU offense with two hits, including a double to left to leadoff the game. However, KU stranded runners in scoring position in three of the first four innings.

KU will try to salvage the final game of the three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox College Sports Central (Channel 145 on Knology Cable).

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