OU Wins 11th Straight, Tops NIU

March 12, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NIU	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	5	13	2
OU	3	1	0	4	0	1	0	2	X	11	15	1

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Blue (3-0)	5.1	11	4	4	1	0
L - Feeney (0-2)	5.0	11	8	8	1	5
S - none	-	-	-	-	-	-

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	3B
NIU - Reed	5	0	3	1	0	0
OU - Baker	4	2	4	3	1	1

Sooner Baseball Central

2008 OU Baseball Media Guide

FRISCO, Texas -- The No. 25 Sooners took an 8-1 lead after four innings and never looked back in an 11-5 win over Northern Illinois on Wednesday at Dr Pepper Ballpark. OU has won 11 straight games to improve to 14-2 overall on the year, while Northern Illinois fell to 3-8.

After surrendering a run to Northern Illinois in the first inning, OU starter C.J. Blue (3-0) settled down to hold the opposition scoreless for the next four innings.

The Sooner offense gave the junior left-hander all the run support he needed with 11 runs off 15 hits throughout the game. The surge marked the ninth time this year that OU has connected for 10 or more hits in a game and fifth time to plate 10 or more runs. Northern Illinois scored five runs off 13 hits.

"Each day we take the field we are out there trying to get better and win games," said OU head coach Sunny Golloway. "And despite some sloppy play, we accomplished both those things today."

Trailing 1-0 after the top half of the first, OU went to work with a two-run triple off the bat of sophomore Aaron Baker, who scored later in the frame after a throwing error on a ground ball hit to short by sophomore Zach Hedges.

Baker helped the Sooners extend the lead in the second inning with a RBI single up the middle of the infield. The Denton, Texas native finished the day with game-highs in hits (4) and RBIs (3). The 2007 Freshman All-American has driven in 12 runs in the last nine games after struggling early in the season.

"It felt good to get the win today," said Baker "And to get a string of hits out there was the icing on the cake."

OU tagged NIU starter Trevor Feeney (0-2) for four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomore Jamie Johnson led off the frame with a single to center field and scored in the team's next at-bat as junior Trey Sperring homered to left center field (second of the year). Senior Mike Gosse also drove in a run on a triple in the inning to add on to his team-leading total of 18 RBIs.

Blue lasted into the sixth inning for the Sooners and exited after 5 1/3 innings. Blue allowed four runs off 11 hits and a walk and was able to become the third Sooner to record three wins in 2008 (Andrew Doyle and Ryan Duke).

The Sooner bullpen of Antwonie Hubbard, Tyson Seng and Zach Sawyer held the Huskies' rally at bay and watched the OU offense pad the lead with a single run in the sixth and a pair of scores in the eighth.

Sperring, Gosse and Jamie Johnson each finished with two hits.

OU returns home to host Washington State in the final non-conference series of the home schedule. The Sooners and Cougars will begin the four-game set on Friday, March 14 at 6:35 p.m. The series resumes on Saturday with a doubleheader slated to begin at 2 p.m. The series finale on Sunday is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.

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