THE RUNDOWN
Down by a run entering the ninth inning, DBU (14-7) tallied three runs to knock off Oklahoma, 8-6 in Norman. Kyle Amendt struck out the side in the ninth to earn his team-high fourth save of the year.
 
The Patriots burned little time to get on the scoreboard. Despite having a runner tagged out at home on a fielder's choice in the prior at-bat, Ethan Mann homered to left center field in the top of the 1st to score Miguel Santos and Nate Rombach for an early 3-0 advantage for DBU.
 
Zach Heaton senior threw a season-high four innings and allowed only one run despite allowing a runner to occupy each base with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
 
On the heels of an Oklahoma (13-8) pitching substitution, Grant Jay hammered his fifth home run of the season in the fifth, a solo shot to left field to make the difference three runs.
 
Anthony Mackenzie led off the home half of the fifth with a single that initiated a three-run frame for the Sooners. A single by Rocco Garza-Gongora, a double off the bat of Bryce Madron, and a throwing error by the Patriot defense were the means by which OU tied the game at four.
 
The Sooners took the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, but Nathan Humphreys answered with an RBI single to knot the game at five in the seventh. After a double by Jackson Nicklaus to start the bottom of the seventh, OU used back-to-back sacrifice bunts to score the second basemen and go back on top, 6-5.
 
Both sides forced scoreless innings from their opponent, and DBU went into the ninth in need of at least one run to stay alive. Three of the first four batters walked to load the bases for Rombach, who singled up the middle to drive in Jace Grady and the pinch runner Jaxon Holder to put the Patriots back in front, 7-6. The next hitter, Santos, pushed across Humphryes on a sacrifice fly to add an insurance run for his squad.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Oklahoma placed runners as far as first and second base, but Kyle Amendt's three strikeouts in the frame sealed the victory for DBU.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The last six outs recorded by the DBU defense all came via the strikeout.
- With his fifth-inning blast, Grant Jay moved into sole possession of the team lead in home runs (5).
- The Patriots scored eight runs on only five hits.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 - The Sooners put three sacrifice hits into play on Tuesday.
6 - DBU left 6 men on base opposite the Sooners' 13.
10 - Patriot pitching recorded 10 strikeouts in a game for the 16th time this season. They are 13-3 in those games.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots face the Charlotte 49ers this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, for their second Conference USA series of the season. The three-game series begins on Friday at 5:00 pm CT.
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