New delivery puts Hurley back in win column

By Matt Patterson

Published: May 23, 2008

Oklahoma starting pitcher Eric Hurley's smile came easy as he high-fived his teammates as they entered the clubhouse after the RedHawks' 6-2 series-sweeping win over New Orleans at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark on Thursday afternoon.

Hurley (2-3) hadn't tasted victory since April 18. In between wins, he had pitched well, and not so well, at times. He scattered six hits over seven innings with three strikeouts Thursday after spending the last week tweaking his delivery.

"It's been a grind,” he said. "Some things needed to be changed. I definitely made some good adjustments. I've been working on that for the past six days, changing my delivery, wind up and the stretch and it worked out pretty well.”

Part of Hurley's struggles involved his form, something that he hasn't felt comfortable with all season.

"We're trying to get my body in a little better position so I can hold my form all the way down the hill,” he said. "It's something I wanted to do. Everybody liked it today, so I'm going to keep working on it.”

He got plenty of help in the field as the RedHawks turned four double plays. That represented a major improvement over the error-filled Memphis series last week, which hurt Hurley in his last start.

"Those guys are the best group of guys you could ask to play for,” he said. "They hustle every play. Everyone runs the ball out. Outfielders, I can't say enough about. Infielders, it's the same thing. (Taylor)Teagarden caught a great game today. It was an all around effort.”

Thursday's successful outing could be a turning point for Hurley, who started last season 7-2 in Double-A Frisco, tossing a career high 162 innings and getting his first career shutout. He said the last month has been trying mentally.

"You have to work through it,” he said. "You're not going to deal every where you go. It's tough when it's not going good to stay mentally strong, but you find ways to do it.”

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