Oklahoma Routed by Texas Tech in Amarillo
Whatever momentum Oklahoma might have gained from taking the Bedlam series didn’t carried over.
The Sooners were flat Tuesday night at Hodgetown Ballpark in Amarillo, TX, and promptly got flattened 14-4 by No. 8-ranked Texas Tech.
The game, played before a crowd of 6,898, was a scheduled non-conference tilt at the home park of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tech and OU will meet again three times next week in a Big 12 series in Norman, but the Sooners will need to play much better against the red hot Red Raiders, who last weekend won two of three at No. 3-ranked Texas.
Tech improved to 31-11, while OU fell to 22-21.
Seven Oklahoma pitchers could hardly contain the Tech lineup. Christian Ruebeck (0-1) started and gave up four runs in two innings, Ben Abram allowed four runs in an inning, Javier Ramos gave up five runs in 1 2/3 innings, and Connor Atwood let in one run in his one inning of work.
Each of the Red Raiders’ first 14 runs were earned.
Carson Carter, who began his career at Texas Tech before transferring to OU, pitched a perfect eighth for the Sooners.
While OU pitchers walked nine, Tech pitchers issued just two walks.
OU’s offense — statically among the most prolific in the nation — had no answers.
Jace Bohrofen went 3-for-4, and Jimmy Crooks and Conor McKenna each had two hits.
Trailing 8-0, OU picked up a couple of runs in the fourth when McKenna hit a one-out home run and was immediately followed by a first-pitch triple by Bohrofen. Bohrofen scored on Brandon Zaragoza’s single to center.
Backup catcher Hudson Polk got his second hit of the season and delivered his third RBI with a single up the middle in the eighth inning for the Sooners’ third run.
Oklahoma scratched across a little more offense in the top of the ninth on a pair of Texas Tech errors and McKenna's two-out RBI single.
OU out-hit the Red Raiders 12-10, but stranded nine baserunners.
The Sooners hit the road this weekend for a Big 12 series at West Virginia. Friday’s game starts at 6 p.m., Saturday’s is set for 3 p.m. and Sunday’s begins at 10:30 a.m.