April 28, 2012

No. 23 Sooners Stifle Jayhawks Again, 8-2

April 28, 2012

Oklahoma 8, Kansas 2
Hoglund Ballpark//Lawrence, Kan.

Redshirt junior Jake Marasco tosses to pitcher Wes Benjamin at first base Saturday in KU’s 8-2 loss to No. 23 Oklahoma.

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

Box Score (.pdf)

Leaders – Batting
Kansas	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
J. Stanfield	5	0	3	1	0	0
K. Kuntz	4	1	2	0	1	0
Oklahoma	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
M. White	5	2	2	5	0	1
E. Mistich	3	0	3	1	1	0

Pitching
Kansas	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W. Benjamin (L)	5.0	5	3	3	3	2
R. Kahana	3.2	6	5	5	2	4
C. Toalson	0.1	1	0	0	0	0
Oklahoma	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
J. Gray (W)	6.1	4	1	0	4	6
S. Okart	1.2	0	0	0	2	0
J. Rhame	1.0	2	1	1	0	1

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Oklahoma starting pitcher Jonathan Gray held the Jayhawks to one run on four hits, while center fielder Max White collected two hits and five RBIs as the 23^rd-ranked Sooners used a pair of big innings to take down the Kansas for the second-straight day, 8-2, Saturday evening in front of a season-high 1,682 fans at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Jayhawks fall to 17-27 overall and 4-13 in Big 12 play, while the Sooners improve to 28-16 and 9-8 in conference action.

Gray kept the Jayhawks off-balance most of the night with a fastball that clocked in as high as 97 mph and a good slider. The sophomore transfer walked four, struck out six and stranded six men on base in his 6 1/3 innings.

White provided all the offense Oklahoma would need, staking the visitors to a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning with a three-run homer to right field off Kansas starting pitcher Wes Benjamin. In the ninth, White helped break the game open with a two-run single to center field with two outs.

The three-run homer to White was the only big mistake Benjamin made as the KU starter went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Kansas scored its first run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jordan Dreiling. After Kevin Kuntz opened the inning with a walk and moved to third on an error after a soft line drive by Jake Marasco was mishandled at short. Dreiling then sent a 2-0 pitch to deep right field to plate the first run of the game.

The Jayhawks didn’t score again until the ninth inning, after Oklahoma had put up five runs in the top of the inning. Senior James Stanfield singled home Ka’iana Eldredge after the KU second baseman opened the frame with a walk.

KU left 11 men on base in the game, including the bases loaded in the second and the seventh innings. Stanfield led the offense, going 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Kuntz chipped in a 2-for-4 effort.

Kansas will look to salvage the third and final game of the series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon at Hoglund Ballpark.