Baseball Takes 2-0 Lead Over WIU

March 8, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
WIU	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	2	6	14	1
OU	1	2	2	1	5	0	0	0	X	11	10	4

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Richards (1-0)	5.0	7	3	3	3	7
L - Eden (0-1)	2.1	4	4	4	4	0
S - none	-	-	-	-	-	-

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
WIU - Pendell	6	1	3	1	0	0
OU - Freeman	4	3	3	2	0	1

Sooner Baseball Central

2008 OU Baseball Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma Sooners took a 2-0 lead in the four-game series against Western Illinois with an 11-6 win in game one of the doubleheader on Saturday. Game two is set to begin at 3:40 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

Sophomore Garrett Richards, making his first start as a Sooner, earned the win after battling out of numerous jams throughout five innings. Richards struck out seven and allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks.

Senior Jarod Freeman led the OU offense in Saturday's early game and finished with a 3-for-4 outing that included his first career home run in the third inning.

Sophomore Aaron Baker got things started with a RBI single to left center field in the first inning. With a 1-0 lead, OU increased its advantage in the second frame on sophomore Bryant Hernandez's first home run of the season, a two-run shot over the scoreboard in left field.

The Leathernecks battled back in the third inning to tie the ball game at three runs apiece off Richards.

The Sooners regained the lead in the bottom of the third with Freeman's two-run homer to right field and tacked on another run in the fourth. The flood gates opened in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Sooners plated five runs off three hits.

OU improved to 10-2 with Saturday's win, its seventh straight win. Western Illinois dropped to 0-4.