(#13) Oklahoma 6, (#15) Texas A&M 5

Sunday, May 17

Norman, Okla.

1:00 PM

Texas A&M

34-21, 14-13

Oklahoma

40-16, 17-10

Texas A&M

Oklahoma

May 17, 2009 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Athletics

May 17, 2009

Final Stats

NORMAN, Okla. - No. 13 Oklahoma scored four unearned runs off four Texas A&M errors and held on for a 6-5 victory over the 15th-ranked Aggies Sunday afternoon before 1,385 fans at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

A&M trailed 6-3 entering the ninth before mounting a rally off OU closer Ryan Duke.

Brooks Raley drew a one-out walk, and Luke Anders followed by driving an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left to cut the lead to one. Kyle Colligan followed with an infield single, bringing the go ahead run to the plate in Joe Patterson. The Aggie DH connected on a 1-1 offering from Duke, sending the ball to deep center field, but Jamie Johnson chased it down and made a leaping catch up against the fence to rob Patterson of a game-tying double. Duke then recorded the final out to lock down his league-leading 14th save of the year.

With the loss, the Aggies finished the regular season at 34-21 and 14-13 in Big 12 play and will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in next week's conference tournament. The Sooners improved to 40-16 and 17-10 and locked up the No. 2 seed.

Oklahoma took the lead with a three-run second. With one out, OU got three straight singles, the last off the bat of Jamie Johnson to drive home the game's first run that chased A&M starter Barret Loux.

After a stolen base put runners at second and third, Matt Harughty hit a slow roller to third base, but Caleb Shofner's throw to the plate sailed high and to the backstop. Two runs scored on the play to make the score 3-0.

Oklahoma added an unearned run in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Harughty.

Kyle Colligan put the Aggies on the board in the sixth with a leadoff home run off OU starter Garrett Richards, his team-leading 14th of the season. Joe Patterson would continue the rally, following Colligan with a single to center. Patterson would move to second on a wild pitch, to third on a groundout and would score on another wild pitch, pulling A&M within two runs.

The Sooners answered back in the bottom of the inning with another unearned run. With two outs, Chris Ellison singled to center and broke for second on an 0-2 pitch to the next batter, Johnson. The Sooner center fielder lined a single back through the middle, moving Ellison to third, but the ball kicked off the glove of Colligan, allowing the run to score.

A&M loaded the bases in the eighth and pushed home a run on a Kevin Gonzalez sacrifice fly.

OU added what would prove to be a critical insurance run in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded wild pitch that made the score 6-3.

Colligan, Patterson and Gonzalez led the Aggies with two hits apiece on the afternoon.

Loux (3-3) lasted just 1.1 innings and gave up five hits, three runs (one earned) and a walk. He did not strike out a batter. Kyle Thebeau, Alex Wilson and Nick Fleece punched out seven hitters over a combined 6.2 innings of relief.

Richards (8-3) picked up the win. In six innings of work he gave up five hits, two runs and three walks while striking out a career-best 11. Duke gave up two hits and two runs in an inning of work in picking up the save. OU pitching fanned 17 A&M hitters on the afternoon.

Texas A&M now heads to Oklahoma City for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, scheduled for May 20-24 at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. The Aggies will open play on Wednesday as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, and will meet Missouri or Kansas State at a time to be determined. A&M will be the No. 5 seed with a Kansas loss to K-State tonight, and the No. 6 seed if the Jayhawks knock off the Wildcats. Check aggieathletics.com late Sunday night for the tournament schedule.

POSTGAME QUOTES

HEAD COACH Rob Childress: "It was a disappointing weekend to say the least. We had an opportunity to win this series without question, looking at Friday and today, we just didn't get a hit with runners in scoring position. And today, when you strike out 17 times and make four errors, do you really deserve to win? We didn't deserve to win."

(on looking ahead to the Big 12 Tourney) "This team is ready to move on into a new season. The regular season is done and over with, and we are where we are. But believe me, we're going to Bricktown to win a championship and move on next week into the postseason. That's what this team has been waiting on since last June. Now that we're in the postseason, it's time for us to put our money where our mouth is."