The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
Baseball wins doubleheader opener against Oklahoma, 7-3
04.18.2009 | Baseball
April 18, 2009
Box Score | Box Score 
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 9 Texas Longhorns turned strong pitching performances by Chance Ruffin and Austin Wood into a 7-3 win over the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners in the first game of a Big 12 Conference doubleheader at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday afternoon.
Ruffin (6-2), the UT starter, was credited with the win for the Longhorns. Ruffin held OU to three runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings of work and struck out a season-high 10 Sooners. Wood earned his ninth save of the season in 2.2 hitless shutout innings. The senior closer struck out three batters and walked two.
Texas (27-8, 10-6 Big 12) broke though first with five runs in the bottom of the second inning. After Tant Shepherd drew a one-out walk, Kevin Keyes was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Cameron Rupp pounded a single to right field to plate Shepherd and give Texas its first run. The next batter, Brandon Loy doubled to right center to drive in Rupp and Keyes, and extended the Texas lead to, 3-0.
With still one out, Connor Rowe reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, and Travis Tucker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two more runs crossed the plate one out later on another Sooner miscue. Loy scored on OU starter Andrew Doyle's wild pitch, and Rowe scored the same series on an error by the catcher to give Texas the early 5-0 lead.
Oklahoma (29-9, 8-5 Big 12) got on board with two runs in the top of the fourth. Matt Harughty led off with a single to third base and Aaron Baker plated a pair with his 10th home run of the season, a dinger over the right field fence.
The Longhorns tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth. Shepherd got on with a single to center field and advanced to second on another Doyle wild pitch. Shepherd then moved to third on Keyes' single through the left side and trotted home on Rupp's groundout to the shortstop to widen Texas' lead to 6-2.
OU responded with a run in the top of the seventh with back-to-back doubles to right center from Garrett Buechele and Cameron Seitzer to narrow the gap, 6-3. Wood worked out of a bases loaded jam to end the inning without any further damage.
Texas neutralized that run with one of their own in the bottom of the eighth. Russell Moldenhauer was given a base when he was hit by a pitch. Morgan Mickan came in to pitch run for Moldenhauer and came around to score on back-to-back singles by Shepherd and Keyes.
UT was led offensively by Shepherd and Keyes who both went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Michael Torres, Belt, Rupp and Loy all had one hit apiece. Belt extended his hitting streak to 12 games for the season.
Doyle (5-3) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs, five of them earned, on eight hits, giving up one walk and only striking out one.
Baker was the highlight of OU's offense, driving two of the team's three runs in a 1-for-4 showing.
