Oakland and Texas Split the Series to Open Season

In an NL West rivalry, Texas matches up with the powerful Oakland team and manages to win two of the four.

Game One: Texas 5, Oakland 3
W: Hough (1-0)
L: Stewart (0-1)
S: Kern (1)

Charlie Hough had the knuckler fluttering today in a duel against Oakland's Dave Stewart on opening day at the Coliseum. A 3-3 tie was broken in the top of the sixth on a Jim Sundburg solo blast, and Larry Parrish brought home Scott Fletcher an inning later with a hit up the middle. Texas's Jim Kern provided 1.2 innings of one hit relief for the save.

Game Two: Oakland 2, Texas 1
W: Welch (1-0)
L: Tanana (0-1)
S: Eckersley (1)

In a tight game with little offense, Bob Welch and Frank Tanana were both on their games. All the scoring was done in the first three innings, as Texas couldn't erase a 2-1 deficit and left seven stranded. A 382 foot Mike Davis homer in the second was the difference, as Dennis Eckersley pitched a 1,2,3 ninth.

Game Three:  Oakland 6, Texas 1

W: Langford (1-0)
L: Jenkins (0-1)

Rick Langford pitched a complete game five hitter, only allowing one run and with a gamescore of 76. Texas's Fergie Jenkins was not as strong, as Oakland CF Dwayne Murphy got to him with five RBIS and a home run.

Game Four: Texas 7, Oakland 5
W: G. Harris (1-0)
L: Norris (0-1)
S: Russell (1)

Starter Danny Darwin and Mike Norris was shaky, giving up a total of 17 hits between them in six innings of work and both leaving with a 6-5 Texas lead in the sixth. Texas added to the total was a solo blast from Pete O'Brien in the seventh.  Another home run from Donnie Murphy and Texas taters from Gino Petralli and Mickey Rivers also accounted for much of the scoring, while Petralli scored the tie breaking run by scooting home on a Rivers sac fly. Jim Russell nailed it down in the ninth for his first save, after two scoreless innings from Oakland's Steve Ontiveros kept it close.