Texas sweeps doubleheader at Oklahoma, clubs 6 homers in weather-shortened nightcap
AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a weather-shortened nightcap, the Texas Longhorns picked up a huge series win over conference-leading Oklahoma on Sunday in Norman.
The Longhorns and Sooners p[laid a doubleheader Sunday due to storms in the Norman postponed Saturday's originally scheduled game, and even then they shouldn't get two 9-inning games in, but they did enough in the eyes of the Big 12. Texas won the opener 8-6 and tied a school record with six home runs in the finale to take a 12-10 win after the game was called in the eighth inning due to weather.
The Sooners beat the Longhorns 9-4 in the series opener Friday. Oklahoma entered Sunday with a 9-game winning streak overall and a 7-game Big 12 winning streak to vault them into the top spot.
Longhorns outfielder Max Belyeu smashed two home runs in the second game and finished 4 for 4 with three RBIs. Belyeu hit a 2-run home run in the fifth and a solo homer in the seventh. Peyton Powell smacked a 2-run home run in the first to get things going, then Will Gasparino went deep for a 2-run shot in the second. Casey Borba joined the party and hit Texas' third 2-run homer in as many innings to give the Longhorns a 6-1 lead, but Oklahoma scored four in the bottom half to cut the deficit to 6-5.
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Rylan Galvan's 2-run home run and Jalin Flores' RBI double in the sixth pushed Texas ahead for good to claim the doubleheader sweep and series on the road. Flores ended the game with three hits while Kimble Schuessler and Powell had two each.
After Lebarron Johnson Jr. and Cade O'Hara combined to allow eight runs in 5 2/3 innings, the back end of the bullpen did enough for Texas to hang on. Luke Harrison, Heston Tole and Andre Duplantier II combined to allow two runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings.
In the opener, Schuessler and Gasparino both homered and Flores hit two doubles. Oklahoma pitching hit four Texas batters and walked the Longhorns six times.
Texas trailed 5-4 going into the sixth until Schuessler belted a solo home run to tie the game, and then Gasparino followed it up to give Texas a lead it wouldn't give up. Powell drove in a third run in the inning with a bases-loaded walk to make it 7-5 in favor of the Longhorns.
Chase Lummus picked up the win in relief for Texas, tossing 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run on three hits. Gage Boehm notched his fifth save of the season with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings, allowing a run on two hits.
Texas (27-18, 13-8 Big 12) is a game behind West Virginia and Oklahoma State for second in the conference while the Sooners still sit atop the Big 12 by one game. Texas hosts Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before a crucial series beginning Friday against Oklahoma State at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.