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Wood gave Texas six innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just three hits and two walks, and Joseph Krebs and Randy Boone came in to finish off the Cowboys 7-0. In the process, Texas became the first-ever team to sweep Oklahoma State in their home stadium.
Before we continue with the game summary, let me take a moment to praise Augie Garrido, since I'm not afraid to point out the areas where he frustrates me. Texas' biggest weakness this season has been in the bullpen, where Garrido has been unable to find consistent help in front of Randy Boone.
Garrido saw something in Joseph Krebs (probably his climbing K-rate) that led him to believe that he would be effective in relief. He simultaneously made a good evaluation that Austin Wood can give Texas enough as a starter once a week. It was an imaginative move and worked absolutely brilliantly this weekend. Krebs was instrumental in Friday's win, and equally effective in lower-leverage situations on both Saturday and Sunday.
I've noted Garrido's distasteful penchant for giving away outs, but his instincts and coaching abilities in virtually every other facet of the game are as good, or better, than anyone else's in the college game. He's not won this many games by accident - that's for sure.
While the pitching was outstanding again on Sunday, Texas' bats gave the team more than enough support on offense. Bradley Suttle scored twice and drove in two runs, Nick Peoples got on base twice with a walk and a hit (scoring each time), and the Longhorns improved to 17-4 in the conference. They haven't locked up the Big 12 yet, but it would take a historic collapse for them not to capture the conference crown.
If this team continues playing as well as it is currently, there's little reason to believe it won't be in Omaha.
--PB--