Wiles' strong start helps Sooners to series win

NORMAN — After a tough start to the week, with a loss at ORU and a loss at Minnesota, Oklahoma turned things around over the weekend with a pair of tight wins over the Golden Gophers.

Cavalli's offensive role shrinks

Friday night starting pitcher Cade Cavalli, a sophomore, has been Oklahoma's regular designated hitter on nights that he doesn't pitch for much of the season. Cavalli has started 19 times in the role, more than twice as many as anyone else. But in the last four games he hasn't pitched — including three last week — Cavalli has been on the bench. In his place, the Sooners have used Jordan Vujovich three times and Brady Lindsly once. Cavalli is hitting .319, with four home runs and 17 RBI. Hit .611 slugging percentage is best on the team by a wide margin. The Sooners haven't scored more than five runs in any of their last six games and over their last 16 games —since the Big 12-opening sweep of Kansas — Oklahoma is averaging just 3.4 runs per game.

Ruffcorn continues to impress

Junior right-hander Jason Ruffcorn had saves in each of the two wins at Minnesota. He threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out four to wrap up Saturday's 2-1 win. He threw a scoreless inning in Sunday's 5-2 win. Ruffcorn lowered his ERA to 1.86 in 20 innings. He's struck out 22 and walked 11. The saves were his ninth and 10th of the season, making him the first Sooners reliever since Ryan Duke in 2010 to save at least 10 games. He's only the fifth OU pitcher in the program's history to hit 10 saves. Only seven pitchers have 10 more more career saves for the Sooners, led by Duke's 35.

Wiles comes up big in the spotlight

Saturday starter Nathan Wiles hasn't pitched poorly in his last three starts — outside of the five-run first inning at Baylor — but hadn't been able to pick up a win since the series against Kansas. But Wiles was strong against Minnesota in the game at Target Field, working into the seventh and giving up just three hits and one run while striking out six to improve to 6-2. “Nathan was back to himself, executing pitches,” Sooners coach Skip Johnson said. “He established what he needed to get done during the week, and it was fun to watch today.”