OU Completes Perfect 9-0 Home Stand

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooners used eight runs off 11 hits to extend their winning streak to nine games with an 8-2 victory over Creighton on Wednesday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The game completes the two-game sweep of the Bluejays and marks the end of the Sooners perfect nine-game home stand.

OU scored four runs in the third inning and got another solid outing from its pitching staff to improve to 11-4 overall on the season. Creighton dropped to 5-6 with the loss.

“The coaching staff is proud of the way this club is playing right now but we need to carry this momentum with us on the road,” said OU head coach Sunny Golloway. “Creighton played well in these two games and my hat goes off to them. Now our focus shifts to this weekend where we have three tough opponents ahead of us.”

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The Sooners opened up the offense on Joe Dunigan's two-run triple in the third inning. One batter later, Aaron Reza laid down a perfect bunt to bring Dunigan home on the squeeze play.

That was all the offense Danny Grande would need in his first career start. The freshman struck out five and allowed two runs on six hits and a walk in the no-decision. After 4 2/3 innings, Grande gave way to Heath Taylor (2-0).

Taylor took over with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth inning and struck out Darin Ruf to end the threat. Taylor tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief and allowed zero runs and three hits for his second win of the season. The left-hander, who has not allowed a run in his last three appearances (8 2/3 IP), also struck out two Bluejays on the afternoon.

After Creighton narrowed the Sooners' lead to 4-2 in the fourth inning, Joseph Hughes increased OU's cushion to three runs with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.

OU tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth on Jackson Williams' first homer of the season, a two-run shot to left-center field. The Sooners' final run came on Aaron Baker's RBI single, his second hit of the game. Earlier in the game, Baker extended his team-best hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the second. The freshman is hitting .448 on the season and leads Oklahoma with 20 RBIs.

Baker was one of three Sooners to help OU record its seventh double-digit hit performance of the season. Aljay Davis finished 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot and Dunigan was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

The Sooners have recorded 10 or more hits in four of the last six games and five overall during the nine-game winning streak.

Next up for the Sooners is a trip to San Diego, Calif. to play in the 2007 Aztec Invitational on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
OU will take on San Diego State (11-8) on Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. to open the tournament at Tony Gwynn Stadium. On Saturday, the Sooners will face San Diego (13-8) at 5 p.m. at Petco Park and conclude action on Sunday at noon against Michigan at Tony Gywnn Stadium. All times are central and the games on Friday and Sunday will be broadcast live on the Sooners' flagship station, KOKC 1520 AM.

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