Oklahoma takes down Kansas in opener
Brett Squires
Joshua R. Gateley / OU Athletics
NORMAN — Tanner Tredaway hit a solo home run in the first inning and Brett Squires ripped a three-run bomb in the fifth as Oklahoma pounded Kansas 10-4 on Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
Squires also had an RBI single behind Tredaway in the first as the Sooners won their second straight game to improve to 15-14 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 Conference play. KU fell to 17-12 and 1-5.
The win marked the 100th of coach Skip Johnson's OU career.
Squires finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while Tredaway and Tyler Hardman each had two hits. Diego Muniz delivered a two-run single in the fifth inning.
Wyatt Olds (2-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings, struck out six, walked three and scattered six hits. Ledgend Smith pitched three shutout innings in relief, and Luke Taggart closed out the final two outs.
KU took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first off Olds, but he got out of more trouble by inducing an inning-ending ground ball.
Tredaway got things rolling for OU with a leadoff home run — on an 0-2 count.
Hardman singled and Muniz was hit by pitch, setting the table for Squires’ first RBI through the left side. Muniz came around to score on a throwing error when Conor McKenna hit into a fielder’s choice, giving OU a 3-2 lead.
After KU took a 4-2 lead in the fourth, the Sooners plated a single run in the bottom of the fourth when Squires scored on Brandon Zaragoza’s sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, OU blew it open with five runs, keyed by Muniz’s bases-loaded single to score Tredaway and Justin Mitchell and Squires’ blast down the right field line.
In the seventh, McKenna’s RBI single to left scored Squires to make it 10-4.
Saturday’s game two starts at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast by Bally Sports Oklahoma.