Big 12 Tournament: Sooners Stay Alive With Win Over WVU

The Oklahoma baseball season is not over just yet, as the Sooners staved off elimination in the Big 12 baseball tournament by defeating West Virginia, 6-1.

The Sooners will play at 7 p.m. Friday night against the loser of Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma got a terrific pitching performance from Robert Tasin to keep the Sooners in the game before a four-run eighth inning all but locked up the win for OU.

Tasin pitched seven innings, scattering seven hits while allowing just a single run and two walks with five strikeouts. He helped hold the Mountaineers to a 1-for-12 showing with runners in scoring position. The highlight of his performance was snaring a line drive off the bat of Justin Fox and then doubling up Ray Guerrini off second base to end seventh inning with OU clinging to a 2-1 lead.

In the next half inning, a walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out for Sheldon Neuse, who launched the first pitch he saw to right center to clear the bases. Tasin helped his own cause later in the inning, scoring Neuse with a single.

Even though Tasin had a five-run lead and the Sooners need to win four more games to win the Big 12 tournament, OU coach Pete Hughes decided to go through his bullpen to get the final six outs of the game. West Virginia collected two hits off Corey Copping in the ninth, but didn't seriously threaten the OU lead.