Doyle's gem keeps OU hopes alive
Struggling Sooner pitcher shuts down top-seeded Aggies
Struggling Sooner pitcher shuts down top-seeded Aggies

By Jenni Carlson

Published: May 22, 2008

Andrew Doyle walked off the field at Bricktown Ballpark to a Sooner serenade.

An-drew!

An-drew!

The Oklahoma right-hander pointed into the stands, soaking in the love and joining in the fun.

On a day when the Sooners needed a quality outing from their starter not to mention a jump start at the Big 12 Tournament, Doyle delivered. He had the performance of his life, a complete-game victory against top-seeded Texas A&M.

Sooners 4, Aggies 1.

"It was a lot of fun today,” Doyle said after the game. "I was making pitches that were completely fooling A&M's hitters.”

That, he was.

And it couldn't have been any more unexpected than if aliens had landed in center field.

The past six weeks have been a struggle for Doyle. Often the Sooners' Friday or Saturday starter, he lasted no longer than 6 1/3 innings in his last six starts and averaged less than five innings per start.

The bugaboo has been his control — or lack thereof. He walked lots of batters and hit a few more. A couple weeks ago, Doyle plunked two batters against Kansas State, and a few weeks before that, he beaned three at Texas A&M.

Doyle's last outing before his Wednesday win was no more impressive. He gave up six runs in short order against Oklahoma State on Saturday, allowing seven hits, walking four and striking out only one.

Sooner coach Sunny Golloway pulled him in the fourth inning.

When Doyle walked off the field at Bricktown Ballpark that day, there were no serenades from the OU faithful.

"The best thing about baseball is there's usually another day,” Doyle said. "As a pitcher, you know there's going to be another day and you've just got to go out there and compete and try to make pitches to help your team win.”

Still, no one could've imagined Saturday what would happen Wednesday.

Doyle, the first Sooner pitcher to notch a complete game this season, dominated the Big 12 regular-season champion. A team that scored at least eight runs in 32 of its 56 games managed just one Wednesday against Doyle.

His stat line: 12 strikeouts, two walks, five hits, one earned run.

His impact: immeasurable.

These Sooners, after all, are in a must-win situation every time they step on the field this week. They likely need to win four games in the tournament to extend their season. Three wins in pool play would secure a spot in the tournament title tilt, and a win there would put OU in the NCAA Tournament.

Anything less than a conference crown, and the Sooners will be checking in uniforms Monday.

They had to have a good start Wednesday, and Doyle gave it to them.

He called it his best outing of the season.

"Without a doubt,” he said. "That's the first time I've been able to command three pitches for strikes.”

Golloway said: "He was terrific. He threw it with a lot of confidence when he needed to.”

Doyle needed to do so throughout the game. The Sooners scored in the first inning but missed opportunities early to put the Aggies in an even bigger hole. They left runners stranded at third each of the first two innings.

The Aggies finally capitalized in the third with a solo homer that tied the score.

Doyle didn't panic. He struck out six of the next nine batters en route to 12 strikeouts, the most in a game for a Sooner pitcher this season.

"You didn't see him flinch after the home run,” Golloway said. "That really speaks volumes for a pitcher's character.

"A gutty performance.”

It couldn't have come at a bigger, better time for OU. Much work remains for these Sooners, but with nothing promised after this weekend, they needed to start strong in the Big 12 Tournament, winning big and building momentum.

An unlikely Sooner savior made sure of that.

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