Sooners Defeat Arkansas to Open Shriners College Classic

Friday, February 28

Houston, Texas

3 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

8-2

Arkansas

7-1

Arkansas

Oklahoma

Photo by: Joe Buvid

Sooners Defeat Arkansas to Open Shriners College Classic

February 28, 2020 | Baseball

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HOUSTON – The No. 15 Oklahoma baseball team took the lead with three runs in the seventh inning and defeated No. 9 Arkansas 6-3 Friday to open the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.

Junior Cade Cavalli finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts in 5.0 innings, scattering six hits and allowing three runs and no walks. Sophomore Wyatt Olds (3-0) earned the win with three scoreless relief innings that included six strikeouts, and Jason Ruffcorn earned his fourth save. The trio of Sooners (8-2) pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in the game, and OU handed the Razorbacks (7-1) their first loss of the season.

OU scored in the second and third innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead, but Arkansas hit consecutive home runs in the fifth to go ahead 3-2. Senior designated hitter Brady Lindsly tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run, and the Sooners regained the lead with three runs in the seventh inning.

"We situational hit really well early in the game," Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson said. "That's what you have to do against a good team, get two runs on the board and let your pitcher relax a little bit and make pitches. We fought back, which was really special, and got some big hits in some big moments. I thought Cavalli did a great job going pitch to pitch, and Wyatt was outstanding."

Oklahoma struck in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly by sophomore left fielder Trent Brown that scored senior right fielder Brady Harlan. A single by Harlan and a double by junior catcher Justin Mitchell set up the RBI.

In the third inning, junior center fielder Tanner Tredaway hit a one-out double and scored on a groundout by Lindsly to make it 2-0. Arkansas took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a two-run home run by second baseman Robert Moore and a solo homer by third baseman Jacob Nesbit.

Lindsly hit an opposite field home run into the Crawford Boxes in left field to pull the Sooners into a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning. It was his second homer of the season.

The Sooners manufactured three runs in the seventh inning to retake the lead. Senior shortstop Brandon Zaragoza singled home Brown to put OU ahead 4-3 after Brown took second on an error and senior second baseman Conor McKenna reached on a sacrifice bunt. With the bases loaded after Tredaway bunted for a single, junior first baseman Tyler Hardman lined a base hit to left scoring McKenna. A throwing error on the play allowed Zaragoza to cross the plate, making it 6-3.

Cavalli allowed just two infield hits in the first four innings, tallying nine strikeouts before the three consecutive hits in the fifth. He bounced back with two more punch outs to end the fifth inning. Olds relieved him to start the sixth and struck out three batters, including two with runners on second and third to end the inning. Ruffcorn picked up a strikeout and started a 1-6-3 double play to close out the ninth inning.

Hardman, Tredaway and Mitchell each went 2 for 4 at the plate for the Sooners. Arkansas reliever Kevin Kopps (0-1) took the loss on the mound.

Oklahoma continues play in the Shriners College Classic against Missouri at 11 a.m. Saturday.