Baseball Shuts Out UT Arlington on the Road

Tuesday, March 10

Arlington, Texas

6:30 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

14-4

UT Arlington

12-4

Oklahoma

UT Arlington

Photo by: Ty Russell

Baseball Shuts Out UT Arlington on the Road

March 10, 2020 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score Highlights Next Home Game 3/20 vs Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 9 Oklahoma baseball team scored two runs early and rode excellent pitching to a 3-0 win at UT Arlington Tuesday evening at Clay Gould Ballpark.

The Sooners (14-4) scored runs in the second and fourth innings before adding a run in the ninth. OU's five-hit shutout was bookended at the start by freshman Jake Bennett (3-0), who pitched 4.0 innings with three strikeouts, and senior Jason Ruffcorn, who struck out the side in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.

In between, sophomore Ben Abram tossed 2.0 relief frames, striking out four around two hits, junior Carson Carter retired the side in order in the seventh, and a trio of Sooners held the Mavericks (12-4) off the board in the eighth. UTA starter Cade Winquest (1-1) went 4.0 innings and took the loss for UTA.

"You come into an environment like this, it was Jake's first outing on the road, and sometimes that's tough," Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. "He stayed with the process and we got him a run early, so he didn't feel like he had to go out and be perfect. Our situational hitting, taking walks when we needed to, was really big. Getting the third run in the ninth was even bigger. You can go out there and you don't have to be perfect, you just have to make pitches, and Ruffcorn did that."

OU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when freshman third baseman Peyton Graham singled to right field and scored on a bases-loaded double play. In the fourth, Graham and freshman left fielder Kendall Pettis walked and moved up on a wild pitch, setting up a sacrifice fly by freshman second baseman Logan Kohler to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Sooners added an insurance run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by junior center fielder Tanner Tredaway. Freshman Connor Beichler pinch ran for Kohler, who led of the inning with a single, and stole both second and third base to set up the run.

The Sooners travel to San Luis Obispo, Calif., for a four-game series at Cal Poly, beginning Thursday. Game times are 8 p.m. CT Thursday and Friday, 6 p.m. CT Saturday and 3 p.m. CT Sunday.