With OU trailing 3-1 and hitless going into the sixth inning, Lockwood stepped to the plate and smashed a big fly--his fourth of the series--over the center field wall.
"Coach kinda got onto us a little bit about not stringing together hits, chasing fastballs and doing all that, so my approach when I went up to the plate was just look fastball, try and get something to hit," Lockwood said. "He gave me something and I had to jump on it and it was a nice spark for the team. But that's kinda what we needed to do there. It was a big part of the game."
Moments later after the Sooners loaded the bases, Hartford reliever Ryan Lukach pegged OU second baseman Jack Mayfield to tie the game.
OU scored a couple more on another pair of walks to lead it 5-3 after six.
The Sooners really poured it on in the bottom of the eighth when designated hitter Matt Oberste plated right fielder Ty Taylor on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch and double steal added two additional runs to make it 8-3 and eight runs scored on just a pair of hits.
"Well, [it says] that we run the bases really well, that we're aggressive," said head coach Sunny Golloway. "We stole a lot of bases today. We tried first and third, you know, earlier in the game, the double steal and they threw us out at home. They were coming hard and so, you know, that time I told Woody [Erik Ross], I said, 'I'm reading the middle infielders. You're just reading the ball. If the catcher releases, you're going unless you hear me yelling back, back, back.'
"And my eyes weren't on the catcher, his were. Mine were on the middle infielders and they didn't come like they did earlier. And they kinda surprised me because that was a run they needed to cut down. So, you know, they caught us. If we can be 1-for-2 in a tight ball game with our double steal, we'll do it every time."
Although he labored some in the ninth, closer Damien Magnifico battled through to record the last three outs without giving up a run.
Starting pitcher Steven Okert, who struck out nine and gave up just three earned runs in eight innings, recorded his first victory of the season after throwing 101 pitches in OU's first quality start of the year.
"Our strength and conditioning coaches do a great job keeping us in shape real well so I'm feeling what's coming tomorrow," Okert said. "A little bit, not too much. My adrenaline was pumping, but my arm wasn't feeling too bad. But I'll feel it here in a couple hours."
Hartford pitcher Sean Newcomb took the loss despite allowing just one hit in 5 2/3 innings. He did surrender five runs, but just one earned run while walking seven.
Lockwood finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Oberste had three RBI although he was 0-for-4.
Hawks first baseman Brady Sheetz went 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Golloway recorded his 600th career win in the contest.
"You know, it feels good, I mean, any time you hit another milestone," Golloway said. "But let's remember I've lost two-hundred and some also. So, even though I've got a good win percentage, the thought that I had last night knowing coming into today could be 600 was all of the coaches [that were with me]."
The Sooners (4-2) get back to action at 3 p.m. Tuesday against UT Arlington at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
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