OKLAHOMA CITY -- Anthony Hermelyn matches his career high in RBIs with four, capped off by a two-run home run in the seventh to give Oklahoma a 5-3 win against No. 13 Oklahoma State on Sunday evening in front of 5,625 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Sooners snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 30-21 overall and 11-7 in the Big 12, while the Cowboys dropped to 31-15 and 14-7.
Hermelyn drove in the first OU run of the game in the first inning with an RBI groundout that brought in Taylor Alspaugh, who had walked and went to third on a double by Kolbey Carpenter. Hermelyn’s second RBI came in the bottom of the fifth after OSU had tied the game 2-2 on a two-run homer by Donnie Walton. Craig Aikin beat out an infield single to short, advanced on a sacrifice and got to third on a balk where he scored on a second RBI groundout by Hermelyn.
“It is contagious. When it is going good, it is contagious and when it is going bad, it is contagious,” Oklahoma head coach Pete Hughes said. “I thought the big inning for us was after Walton’s home run when we responded and got one run. It was not the ‘here-we-go-again’ mentality that you slip into every once and a while. It was, 'Let’s answer and get back on the board.' We went up 3-2 and it was critical.”
The Cowboys responded again in the top of the sixth as Ryan Sluder cranked a home run, his second of the series, into the left field bullpen on the first pitch of the frame.
Lefthander Jacob Evans, who entered with two down in the fifth, allowed the homer to Sluder, but quickly recovered as it was the only hit he allowed in 3.1 innings of relief to earn the win. Evans (5-0) struck out four and walked just one on 52 pitches. Righthander Ralph Garza Jr. replaced Evans in the ninth and locked down his second save of the season by striking out the side.
For Oklahoma State, RHP Carson LaRue lasted just 1.2 innings in the start and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Lefty Tyler Nurdin (2-3) took the loss in 0.2 innings as he gave up a two-out single to Carpenter followed by the Hermelyn home run. In between, righthander Trey Cobb was solid for 4.1 innings of one-run, one-hit ball with four strikeouts.
Righthander Robert Tasin pitched 4.2 innings in a no-decision for Oklahoma. He surrendered two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
Carpenter and Chris Shaw posted the only two-hit days in either lineup.
