Johnson Earns 100th Win as Sooners Top Jayhawks

Friday, April 9

Norman

6:30 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

15-14, 0

Kansas

17-12, 0

Kansas

Oklahoma

Photo by: Ty Russell

Johnson Earns 100th Win as Sooners Top Jayhawks

April 10, 2021 | Baseball

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NORMAN – Brett Squires homered and drove in four runs to lead the Oklahoma baseball team to a 10-4 series-opening win over Kansas Friday evening at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

The victory was Oklahoma's 100th under head coach Skip Johnson. The fourth-year skipper has posted a 100-66 (.602) record at OU.

The start of Friday's game was delayed by 30 minutes due to lightning in the area during pregame warmups. The Sooners (15-14, 2-5 Big 12) wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard as center fielder Tanner Tredaway hit a leadoff home run and OU scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to quickly erase a 2-0 deficit. Oklahoma tied the game 4-4 in the fourth inning, then broke away with five runs in the fifth, including a three-run homer by Squires.

After the two-run first inning, OU pitchers held the Jayhawks (17-12, 1-6 Big 12) to single runs in the second and fourth frames. Starter Wyatt Olds (2-3) allowed two earned runs and struck out six batters over 5.1 innings. Ledgend Smith turned in his longest career outing in relief, tossing 3.0 shutout frames with a pair of strikeouts and allowing only two hits and one walk. KU starters Ryan Cyr (3-4) took the loss.

"We did a good job with their starter, because he can really pitch," Johnson said. "He's a veteran guy that can locate his off-speed pitches and keep you off balance. I thought our hitters did a great job tonight."

A stiff 25-30 mph wind blowing out of the north – across the field from left to right at Mitchell Park – followed the storms that passed through central Oklahoma early Friday evening.

Tredaway's leadoff home run to right field in the bottom of the first inning was his third of the season. First baseman Tyler Hardman, who went 2 for 4 for the fifth straight game and scored two runs, singled and scored on a base hit by the right fielder Squires to tie the game 2-2. Left fielder Diego Muniz was hit by a pitch and scored on a throwing error to put Oklahoma in front 3-2. In the fourth inning, shortstop Brandon Zaragoza drove in Squires on a sacrifice fly to tie the game 4-all.

With the bases loaded in the fifth after singles by catcher Justin Mitchell and Tredaway and an intentional walk to Hardman, Muniz lined a two-run base hit to left field. Squires then smashed a three-run home run over the berm beyond the right field wall to make the score 9-4.

The Sooners added a run in the seventh on an RBI single by second baseman Conor McKenna to reach the 10-4 final.

During the top of the fourth, Kansas took a 4-3 lead on a throwing error and had the bases loaded with no outs. Olds then struck out the next two batters and induced a groundout to first base to end the inning without further damage.

"The biggest thing for me was when we made an error and gave up a run, then (Olds) struck those two batters out – I thought that was the separator in the game," Johnson said. "We came back in and scored, and I thought that was big."

Smith also escaped a bases-loaded situation when he entered the game in the sixth inning, but he picked up a strikeout and fielded a chopper to strand the runners. He retired the first seven batters he faced. Luke Taggart relieved him in the ninth and recorded the final two outs.

Kansas scored two runs in the top of the first inning on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Tom Lichty and an RBI single by left fielder Brett Vosik. The Jayhawks tied the game 3-3 in the second on a double by shortstop Maui Ahuna, and then took a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning on a throwing error.

The Sooners and Jayhawks continue the series Saturday. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park.