Oklahoma splits with Arkansas State

NORMAN — Oklahoma split a baseball doubleheader with Arkansas State on Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park in the most dramatic of fashions.

After a spectacular offensive explosion was wasted in a 15-14 opening loss, the Sooners routed the Red Wolves 9-1 in the nightcap.

OU moved to 7-7 on the season while Arkansas State is now 3-8.

In the first game, OU’s Tyler Hardman went 5-for-5, hit for the cycle — a single, double, triple and home run — and drove in four runs, but six OU pitchers gave up 15 hits and the Sooner defense committed three errors as the Red Wolves held off an OU rally.

Arkansas State jumped on OU starter Wyatt Olds (0-2) with two runs in the second inning and five in the third.

OU got almost all of it back in the bottom of the third, however, when Hardman hit a three-run home run to right field, and Tanner Tredaway homered to left. Logan Kohler then added a small-ball run: he singled up the middle, stole second, took third on a throwing error and scored on a wild pitch.

ASU scored another run in the fifth, then got a grand slam in the sixth from Tyler Duncan to make it 12-6. Duncan finished the game with six RBIs and was one of three Red Wolves with three hits.

Arkansas State still held a six-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh, but the Sooners scored twice on Tanner Tredaway’s RBI double to right that plated Hardman and a fielding error that brought home Conor McKenna.

Aaron Brooks came on in relief to start the eighth, but ASU’s Drew Tipton greeted him with a solo home run. The Red Wolves tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly to make it 14-8.

OU then scored five in the eighth on back-to-back solo home runs by Peyton Graham and Jimmy Crooks. Those were followed by a triple from Hardman, who eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk. Breydon Daniel’s two-out, two-run single cut it to 14-13.

Both teams scored in the ninth. Duncan’s RBI single off Jason Ruffcorn made it 15-13, and in the bottom of the ninth, OU got a leadoff single from Graham and an RBI single from Hardman. Tredaway singled and took second on an error, and Hardman ended up on third, but Diego Muniz grounded out to end the game.

In addition to his five hits and four RBIs, Hardman also scored three runs. Graham had three hits and scored three times, and Tredaway had three hits with three RBIs and scored twice. Crooks and McKenna each had two hits, and Daniel and Muniz each had two RBIs.

In the nightcap, left hander Jake Bennett (2-1) threw five strong innings, striking out six and walking one as he gave up just one run on two hits. Jaret Godman followed with two scoreless innings of relief, and Carson Carter threw two scoreless innings as Oklahoma pitchers piled up 13 strikeouts with just one walk and scattered three hits. Carter finished strong by striking out the side in the ninth.

OU racked up 13 more hits in the second game. Hardman went 3-for-3 and scored four runs, while McKenna, Brandon Zaragoza and Brett Squires each had two hits and McKenna, Zaragoza and Connor Beichler each had two RBIs.

Hardman finished the day 8-for-8 with four RBIs and seven runs scored.