Oklahoma baseball: Sooners lower Boomer on top-ranked Arkansas
By Chip Rouse
Riding a season-best two-game winning streak, Oklahoma baseball made it a trifecta — and in grand style — by taking down top-ranked Arkansas on Tuesday.
The Sooners improved to 9-7 with an 8-5 victory over the No. 1 Arkansas on the Razorbacks’ home field. It was the Razorbacks’ second loss of the season to go with 12 wins.
Oklahoma, playing in its first true road game of the 2021 season and in front of over 5,000 mostly Arkansas home fans, pounded out 11 hits off of 10 different Razorback pitchers. None of the Arkansas pitchers lasted more than two innings.
Sophomore left-hander Braden Carmichael pitched a gem of a game, going six innings and allowing four runs on four hits and striking out seven to post his third win of the young season.
Oklahoma erased a 2-0 first-inning start by the Razorbacks with a five-run third inning, highlighted by a two-run homer by right fielder Breydon Daniel. Left fielder Kendall Pettis added a two-run single to start the Sooner scoring in the third.
Carmichael at one point retired 12 consecutive Arkansas batters. Jaret Godman came on in relief in the seventh inning and Sooner preseason All-American Jason Rufforn closed out the game, striking out the side in the ninth to record his first save of the season.
Junior first baseman Tyler Hardman stayed hot with the bat, going two for four for the Sooners. Designated hitter Diego Muniz also had a pair of hits for OU. Hardman has gone 13 for 16 in his last three games with 13 runs scored. On Monday, the Sooner first-sacker was named Big 12 Player of the Week.
The Sooners are back home for a three-game weekend series with Houston. Big 12 play begins a week from Friday, with Oklahoma starting out on the road at Texas.