No. 24 Oklahoma Shelled in Lopsided Loss to No. 17 Arkansas

The Sooners didn't find any consistency on the mound during their series opener against Arkansas on Friday.

Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson talks with officials before a Bedlam baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Sooners’ final road series of the 2026 season didn’t start like they hoped it would.

No. 24 Oklahoma lost 12-2 to No. 17 Arkansas in seven innings on Friday. The loss is OU’s third in a row in SEC play.

The Sooners struck first, as Dasan Harris got a run on the board on an RBI single in the second inning. But it didn’t take long for the Razorbacks to snatch the lead and keep it for the rest of the game.

Arkansas scored five runs on five hits and a walk in the bottom of the second. OU starting pitcher LJ Mercurius allowed all of that damage, and coach Skip Johnson pulled him with only one out in the inning.

After that big inning, OU found itself in a large hole. And the Sooners didn’t do anything to get out of that pit until the fifth inning, when Deiten Lachance logged an RBI single.

And after that, Arkansas put the game out of reach. Razorbacks first baseman Alexander Peck extended the lead to 7-2 with a solo home run in the fifth before shortstop Camden Kozeal hit a grand slam in the sixth to make it 11-2.

The Sooners went down in order in the top of the seventh before Arkansas’ Maika Niu hit a solo home run in the bottom of the frame to clinch the Razorbacks’ mercy-rule victory.

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Mercurius collected the loss for Oklahoma. He allowed five earned runs on six hits and a walk in only 1 ⅓ innings, and his ERA jumped to 5.62.

Six pitchers entered Friday’s game for OU, and all but one of them — Isaac Williams — allowed at least one run.

For Arkansas, Hunter Dietz pitched all seven innings and earned the win. He struck out seven Sooners and allowed only one earned run on seven hits and three walks.

Offensively, Arkansas outhit the Sooners 13-7. Camden Johnson, Harris and Lachance each had multiple hits. Kozeal was Arkansas’ top hitter, as he went 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Oklahoma dropped to 30-17 overall and 12-13 in SEC play with the loss. The Sooners must win their games on Saturday and Sunday to avoid their third series loss in a row.

The Razorbacks improved to 33-17 and 14-11 after their win.

Saturday’s game between OU and Arkansas will begin at 2 p.m.