Sooners Even Series with 10-5 Win

May 10, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KSU	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	5	8	3
OU	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	3	X	10	18	1

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Doyle (7-3)	6.0	8	5	5	2	4
L - Morris (4-3)	1.2	6	5	5	0	1
S - none	-	-	-	-	-	-

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	2B
KSU - Scott	4	1	2	1	1	0
OU - Baker	5	1	4	4	0	2

Game Notes
With a single in the fifth inning, Trey Sperring extended his season-best hitting streak to nine games ... Sperring has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 contests ... Jamie Johnson has hit in 14 consecutive games after his single in the first inning ... In addition, Johnson has hit safely in 29 of the last 32 games ... Andrew Doyle's six-inning start marked the first time an OU starter lasted six or more innings since he tossed 6 1/3 against Missouri on April 19 ... Saturday's outing is the eighth time this season that Doyle has lasted at least six innings in a start ... Saturday's win was the first for OU in the second game of a Big 12 series since topping Texas, 5-3, on April 5 ... OU has scored 10 or more runs in four of the last five games ... The Sooners were 10-for-17 with six RBIs with two outs on the board Saturday ... Baker tied a career high with four RBIs giving him 52 on the year ... Andrew Doyle received Saturday's game ball after his seventh win of the season.

Sooner Baseball Central

2008 OU Baseball Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma baseball team earned a crucial win in Big 12 play on Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park, topping Kansas State, 10-5, to even the series heading into tomorrow's finale at 1 p.m.

The Sooners scored six runs in the first two innings and used the quick start as the building block to a victory that upped their record to 30-21-1 overall and 7-15-1 in Big 12 play. Saturday's result also put Oklahoma 1/2 game out of eighth place in the conference standings while Kansas State remained in a tie for seventh place with a 24-26 overall record and 8-15 Big 12 mark.

Aaron Baker (4-for-5, 4 RBIs), Jamie Johnson (3-for-4, RBI) and Mike Gosse (3-for-5, RBI) paced the Sooner offense, which connected for 18 hits, and Andrew Doyle improved to 7-3 after lasting six innings in the start.

"I think the key and the things that you control are when your starter can get you into that sixth inning," said OU head coach Sunny Golloway. "That's been a key for us (all season). I think the times we've been able to get the starter into the sixth inning, this team has fared very well."

OU jumped on top early, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning after Doyle retired the side in order in the top half of the frame.

Jamie Johnson led off the Sooners' first with a single to left field and moved to second base on Aljay Davis' sacrifice bunt. With Johnson in scoring position, Gosse delivered his 43rd RBI of the season on a single to right center and scored after Baker, the next batter, roped a double to the same location in right. Spencer Selby capped the scoring in the first and brought home Baker on a double yet again to the gap in right center and gave OU a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

Kansas State cut the lead to two with Jason King's solo home run in the second inning but OU immediately responded in their next at-bat.

In the bottom of the second, the Sooner offense chased starter A.J. Morris (4-3) out of the game as Johnson came around to score for the second straight inning, this time on Davis' RBI single to center field. Baker helped add two more runs in the frame on his second base hit of the game, a single through the right side that plated Davis and Gosse.

Doyle ran into trouble in the top of the fifth inning as Kansas State plated the first two runs of the frame on RBI singles off the bats of Brett Scott and Nate Tenbrink. With the bases loaded, Justin Bloxom was hit by a pitch to bring in a run and then King plated the fourth and final run of the fifth on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Ahead 7-5 in the sixth inning, Doyle returned to record his fourth and final strikeout of the day. The Wildcats placed a runner on second base in the frame but were unable to get the clutch hit to bring the game within one run. Doyle also returned in the seventh, but was relieved by Chase Anderson after he surrendered a leadoff single. Anderson issued a two-out walk in the seventh but thanks to a diving catch by Aaron Baker in foul territory, the threat was stopped before any damage was done.

Kansas State placed another runner in scoring position in the eighth but Anderson struck out pinch hitter Jordan Cruz to end the frame. Oklahoma capitalized in the bottom half of the frame and stretched the lead to five runs. Jamie Johnson started the scoring with his third hit of the game and first RBI as Matt Harughty came around to score after his leadoff double. Davis brought home Johnson in the next at bat and then scored after two errors by the Wildcats.

Besides two walks, Anderson was nearly perfect in his two innings of relief without allowing a run or hit and recording two strikeouts.

The Sooners and Wildcats conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The game, which will be broadcast live on KOKC 1520 AM, will feature OU's Ryan Duke (5-4, 3.54 ERA) against KSU's Justin Murray (2-1, 3.28 ERA).

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