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April 23, 2008

Box Score: Southern Nazarene 8, OU 4 |  Photos   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E  SNU 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 1 0 8 11 1 OU 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 10 2  Pitching IP H R ER BB SO  W - Stone (2-1) 5.0 5 1 1 3 1  L - Blue (6-2) 3.0 3 2 2 0 0  S - none - - - - - -  Batting Leaders AB R H RBI BB HR  SNU - B. Hardin 5 3 3 5 0 2  OU - Baker 4 1 2 3 0 1 Sooner Baseball Central Main Page | Ticket Information | Webcasts 2008 OU Baseball Media Guide | 2008 Game Notes Oklahoma Season Statistics | Big 12 Conference | NCAA

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma Sooners (26-16-1 overall) suffered an 8-4 loss at home against Southern Nazarene on Wednesday.  The Crimson Storm scored five runs off a pair of home runs by Brent Hardin to improve to 32-20.  The loss was the first for OU in 15 mid week games.

"You have to tip your cap to Southern Nazarene," said OU head coach Sunny Golloway.  "They have won 32 games for a reason.  Now we have to focus on this weekend's games at Texas Tech."

The Sooners struck first on Aaron Baker's sacrifice fly in the first inning but despite getting 10 hits on the day, but OU was unable to plate another run until the eighth inning.  The Sooners stranded 12 base runners and scored their final three runs on a solo home run by Elliott Blair in the eighth and a two-run shot by Aaron Baker in the ninth. 

After OU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Crimson Storm immediately countered in the top of the second on Matt Floyd's RBI single with the bases loaded.

Southern Nazarene took the first lead of the afternoon as Hardin's three-run homer to left made it 4-1.  Two innings later, Hardin struck again helped extend the lead to 7-1 with a two-run shot to right.

In the top of the eighth, the Crimson Storm added extra insurance with Alex Rehnstorm's sacrifice fly. 

The OU offense attempted a late rally with Blair's pinch-hit homer in the eighth, the first of his career, and Baker's fourth round tripper of the season in the ninth, but it was too little too late.

SNU's Brandon Stone was effective in relief, improving to 2-1 after five innings of work.  Stone limited OU to one run off five hits and three walks and out pitched the Sooner bullpen.

C.J. Blue (6-2) took the loss after surrendering the first of Hardin's home runs.  Blue pitched three innings in relief of starter Jake McCarter.  Garrett Richards and Chase Anderson followed Blue but were also ineffective in relief, allowing two runs apiece. 

Baker, Blair, Mike Gosse and Bryant Hernandez had two hits apiece and represented eight of the Sooners' 10 hits on Wednesday.

The Sooners will look to rebound this weekend as they resume Big 12 play in Lubbock, Texas. 

Oklahoma (4-10-1 Big 12 play) and Texas Tech (19-23 overall, 5-13 Big 12) will begin the three-game set on Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m. at Dan Law Field.  Game two is slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch and Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m.