Baylor
Oklahoma
Baseball Falls to No. 13 Oklahoma, 5-4
5/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 20, 2011
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WACO, Texas - Josh Turley struck out a career-high nine batters in 8.0 innings and left with a 4-3 lead, but No. 13 Oklahoma rallied for two runs in the ninth to beat Baylor 5-4 and even the series on Friday night at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor (28-24, 12-14 Big 12) overcame a three-run deficit with three runs in the sixth inning and carried a 4-3 lead to the ninth, but Garrett Buechele tied the game with a RBI double and Caleb Bushyhead drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.
"This one hurt them," head coach Steve Smith said of his players. "I don't talk to them after every game, but I just went out there and I didn't have a whole lot to say, but `Hey man, you played well. Flush it and let's play tomorrow.' You have got a chance to win the series tomorrow."
Turley cruised through the first three innings, but Oklahoma (40-14, 14-10) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning after Buechele followed a walk and a single with a three-run homer over the left-field wall.
Bushyhead followed with a triple, but Logan Vick threw him out at the plate on Evan Mistich's flyout. That flyout started a string of 13 straight batters retired by Turley before he handed the ball to Max Garner to start the ninth. Turley retired the side on four pitches in the sixth and struck out the side in order in the seventh.
"It felt great," Turley said. "I was just thinking to myself, `Don't give up any more runs.' You just go out there and try to do your job, and sometimes it happens that way. It's not going to happen all the time, but I'm glad it did there."
OU starter Burch Smith worked around two singles in the second and three walks in the fourth to keep the Bears off the board, but Baylor finally broke through in the sixth.
Vick led off with a double, and one out later Joey Hainsfurther brought him home with a RBI double to cut the deficit to 3-1. Jake Miller hit the next pitch over the left-field fence for his second home run in as many games, tying the game at 3-3.
The Bears took their only lead of the game in the seventh when Chris Slater led off with a double, moved to third on Max Muncy's groundout on the right side of the infield and scored on Josh Ludy's sacrifice fly.
Garner, who was attempting to record saves in back-to-back games for the first time this season, got the first out in the ninth on a strikeout, but he gave up consecutive singles before Buechele tied the game with his RBI double.
Buechele finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and one run scored, while Bushyhead had the Sooners' only other multi-hit game in a 2-for-3 effort with one RBI.
Hainsfurther and Miller each went 2-for-3 with one walk and one run scored. Miller drove in two runs, while Hainsfurther and Ludy had one RBI apiece.
The Bears had a chance for a two-out rally in the ninth when Muncy drew a walk and moved up to second on a passed ball, but Ludy grounded out to end the game.
Turley did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs on four hits with one walk and a career-high nine strikeouts in a career-high-tying 8.0 innings. Garner (2-4) took the loss, giving up two runs on three hits in 0.2 inning.
OU reliever Bobby Shore (3-2) picked up the win with 2.2 innings of relief and one run allowed, while Ryan Duke notched his sixth save with a hitless ninth inning. Smith didn't factor in the decision after surrendering three runs on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
The series concludes at 3 p.m. Saturday when Baylor sends Brooks Pinckard to the mound against Oklahoma southpaw Jordan John. Baylor is looking for its first series win against a top-15 ranked team since 2006.
