Baseball Wins Series Opener at Tech

April 25, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
OU	0	0	9	0	2	0	0	0	1	12	17	1
TTU	2	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	0	7	14	0

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - -Doyle (6-3)	5.1	11	6	5	3	4
L - Stewart (2-2)	2.2	7	9	9	4	4
S - Mottern (1)	3.2	0	0	0	3	6

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
TTU - Thennis	5	2	2	3	0	1
OU - Gosse	5	2	4	2	1	0

Game Notes
In the last four games, the Sooners have scored 49 runs, including 10 or more in three of those contests ... Mike Gosse extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the first inning and has multi-hit performances in the last five contests ... Gosse has hit safely in 36 of the last 39 games ... The nine runs scored in the third inning on Friday was the most for an OU team since Feb. 11, 2006 when the Sooners scored nine runs against Western Illinois in the bottom of the sixth of a 14-0 victory ... The Sooners have won each the last six series openers against the Red Raiders ... Game balls: Ryan Mottern (6 strikeouts, save); Aaron Baker (3-for-4, 3 RBIs).

Sooner Baseball Central

2008 OU Baseball Media Guide

LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Oklahoma Sooners (27-16-1 overall, 5-10-1 Big 12) used a nine-run third inning to post their first road win in Big 12 play, 12-7, at Texas Tech (20-24, 5-14) on Friday.

Mike Gosse had a game-high four hits and drove in two runs while Ryan Mottern held the Red Raiders' offense at bay to record his first career save with 3 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. Mottern struck out six of the 13 batters he faced to close out the win.

The Sooners recorded its third victory in the last four games and made the first step in earning a much-needed series win in Big 12 play. OU and Texas Tech entered Friday's game in ninth and tenth place, respectively, in the Big 12 standings. The series-opening win was the first for OU since March 28 against Baylor at home, the last and only Big 12 series the Sooners have won in 2008.

"It's a good win for our club," said OU head coach Sunny Golloway. "I thought we were really good offensively. We knew we needed a big inning after they pushed two across early and it helped us settle down and I think it helped Doyle a little as well."

OU starter Andrew Doyle (6-3) had a shaky beginning to his first Friday night start in the Big 12. The Red Raiders put the first six runners on base thanks to four hits, a walk and a Sooner error. Chris Richburg plated Texas Tech's first run on a single through the left side and two batters later, Roger Kieschnick delivered an infield single to take a 2-0 lead. Doyle left the bases loaded after striking Monk Krider and Tanner Rindels.

Zach Stewart was strong early in his first start of the season on the mound with four straight strikeouts in the first and second innings. But Stewart ran into trouble in the third, walking the first four batters before allowing a RBI single off the bat of Gosse. A double down the left-field line by Aaron Baker followed, giving OU a 3-2 lead. After retiring the first batter of the inning on a ground out by Matt Harughty, Stewart gave up back-to-back run scoring singles by J.T. Wise and Spencer Selby. In his second at-bat of the inning, Trey Sperring connected for the second OU double of the frame, giving his club a five-run advantage. Jamie Johnson capped the scoring in the third with a two-run single up the middle as OU sent 13 batters to the plate and ended with a 9-2 lead.

The Sooners scored a season-high nine runs in the third inning and forced the Red Raiders to use the bullpen early.

In the top of the fifth, OU increased its lead after Gosse's RBI double and Baker's RBI single made it 11-2. The Red Raiders rolled out three different pitchers in the frame. Baker's three RBIs in the series opener gives him 10 in the last four games.

Doyle's day ended after he surrendered a three-run homer to Doug Thennis in the bottom of the sixth. The Red Raiders made things interesting with four runs in the frame after plating another an inning earlier. Mark Guest allowed one run off three hits in relief and was replaced by Mottern to end the Texas Tech rally with consecutive strikeouts.

Despite allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits, Doyle won his sixth game of the year after 5 1/3 innings of work. His counterpart, Stewart, dropped to 2-2 with nine runs allowed on seven hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings.

Prior to taking a 12-7 lead on Wise's RBI single in the ninth, the Sooners had their chances to put the game out of reach late, leaving the bases loaded to end the seventh and eighth innings.

OU outhit Texas Tech 17-14 and was led by the combination of Jamie Johnson, Gosse, Baker and Wise, which had 13 hits and nine RBIs.

The Sooners and Red Raiders will resume the series on Saturday for game two at 2 p.m.