– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Not only was Texas staring a series defeat in the Red River Rivalry in the face, the 7-1 deficit it was staring at going into the game’s final two frames seemed insurmountable after the Longhorns’ bats were silenced to the tune of zero hits in the game’s first four innings. But like its football counterpart, it is best to anticipate the unexpected when the schools meet in any sporting arena, and an unexpected barrage late capped a dramatic comeback in allowing the Longhorns to leave with bragging rights.
Outfielder Murphy Stehly hit the Longhorns’ second three-run homer of the eighth inning to tie the game before Texas scored five in the ninth to go on and defeat Oklahoma 12-8 in the rubber game of the three-game set at Globe Life Field in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers. Shehly had three hits along with designated hitter Austin Todd, who was making his first start since an injury in March, as Texas scored 11 unanswered runs after going into the eighth inning down 7-1.
Oklahoma scored single runs in the first and third innings to go up 2-0 before scoring twice in the fourth inning to double its lead.
The Longhorns did not scratch until the sixth inning, when it scored a run on a Stehly RBI single, but then the Sooners countered in the bottom of the frame when Waxahachie, Texas, native Peyton Graham hit a three-run home run to give the Sooners a six-run lead.
After Texas’ pair of three-run homers tied the score, the Longhorns’ ninth-inning rally started on a two-base error that allowed Douglas Hodo III to start the inning in scoring position. The Longhorns added five hits in the inning, scoring five runs to take its first lead, with Todd hitting a two-run single and Mitchell Daly providing a two-run double.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with all photos taken by Dallas-area photographer Ross James. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 27 pictures in total.
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