• Main
• Roster
• Coaches
• Schedule
• Statistics
• Archives

Oct. 25, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. -- Junior Zach Neal came to Norman following a perfect 13-0 season en route to Howard College's 2009 National Championship.  On Sunday, in game one of the Red/White Series at L. Dale Mitchell Park, Neal led the White team to a 10-4 win and gave Sooner fans a glimpse of his ability.

The right hander from Flower Mound, Texas, struck out five batters, walked one and lasted five innings with one earned run allowed in the victory.  He displayed some of the same control that earned him All-America honors as a sophomore at Howard.  Last season, Neal struck out 104 batters and walked nine batters in 89.2 innings of work.

Neal's counterpart, senior J.R. Robinson, was also effective with two runs allowed for the Red Team, both unearned, in four innings of work.

"We saw two solid pitching performances today," said OU Head Coach Sunny Golloway.  "Both guys did a good job of keeping their teams in the game."

Neal and Robinson each threw up a pair of zeros to start the game until Caleb Bushyhead delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the third for the White Team.  The base knock by the sophomore scored freshman Jarek Pritchard and sophomore Garrett Buechele, who singled earlier in the frame and advanced to second on an error by sophomore Chris Ellison.

Buechele, the 2009 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, was on the offensive again later in the fifth inning and blasted a two-run homer to give his squad a 4-1 lead. 

Another newcomer, freshman Ryan Gibson, relieved Neal in the sixth inning and despite giving up a leadoff home run to Red's freshman Drew Harrison, settled down to strike out seven batters before senior Jeremy Erben closed out the game.

"It was nice to see a little bit of everything today," added Golloway.  "While we saw some outstanding pitching efforts, it was a good day at the plate for our offense with a couple of home runs and some manufactured runs."

Buechele (two RBIs), Pritchard (two RBIs) and Bushyhead (two RBIs) led White's offensive attack with two hits apiece.  Senior Bryan Groth also had RBI single in the nine-inning affair.

Harrison led the Red Team with two hits and three RBIs, including the home run. 

Game two is slated for Tuesday in Norman. Game time and starters are yet to be determined. 

Click here to view the rosters as picked by the two senior captains, Jeremy Erben (White) and Ross Hubbard (Red).

The rest of the five-game series includes:
Game 3: White at Red - Wednesday, Oct. 28 (time: TBA)
Game 4: White at Red - Friday, Oct. 30 (time: TBA)
Game 5: White at Red - Sunday, Nov. 1 (time: TBA)

All games are subject to change and are free and open to the public.