NORMAN, Okla. – The Omaha baseball team posted a 6-3 victory at No. 22 Oklahoma in the season opener on Sunday afternoon at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla.
The win is Omaha's first victory over a ranked opponent in the DI era as the Sooners are ranked No. 22 by the NCBWA and No. 23 by Baseball America.
The Mavericks are currently on a seven-game winning streak dating back to last season.
How It Happened
Harrison Denk led off the third with a single up the middle while
Garrett Kennedy laid down a sac bunt and reached on a throwing error to get two runners on with no outs.
In the next at-bat,
Mike Boeve reached on a fielder's choice for his first collegiate RBI as Denk slid home safely after a wild throw by the OU third baseman. The Mavericks doubled the lead when
Parker Smejkal's RBI groundout brought home Kennedy.
Oklahoma scored all three runs in the sixth on four hits and a Maverick error to grab a 3-2 lead after six innings.
Denk began the seventh with a walk and later sprinted home on a failed pickoff attempt to tie the game up at three. Kennedy followed with an RBI triple, ripping a 2-1 pitch all the way to the wall in right center to score Denk and give the Mavericks a 4-3 lead.
With a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth, Omaha plated a pair of insurance runs off two wild pitches to take a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
OU got the first two hitters on base before
Jacob Mohler drew a 4-6-3 double play to slow down the Sooners. With a runner on third and a full count, Mohler delivered a strikeout to clinch the 6-3 victory in the season opener.
Inside the Box Score
- Omaha scored six runs on three hits and an error.
- Kennedy had an RBI triple and scored a run while Adam Gadsden and Denk recorded one hit apiece.
- Denk scored a game-high three runs.
- Starter Joey Machado threw two scoreless innings while Spencer Koelewyn delivered 3.1 innings in relief.
- Josiah Scott earned the victory after tossing a no-hit inning while Mark Timmins and Tanner Howe also made relief appearances.
- Mohler recorded the save after throwing the final 1.1 innings and getting two strikeouts.
What's Next
The Mavericks and Sooners conclude the two-game series tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. Links to live stats and video are available on OMavs.com.