NORMAN— Oklahoma baseball opened the 2024 home schedule with a 20-0 win over Wright State, showcasing offensive power and pitching depth in front of a record crowd of 2,107.
“Braden (Davis) was really good and I our thought our offense came out with a sense of urgency,” said OU head coach Skip Johnson. “You know you get better (as a pitcher) the more runs you get. Everything gets better when your offense is playing offense. I thought Braden was outstanding, Lodes was good coming out of the bullpen and Pruett was good.”
The 2,107 fans on home-opening day marked the highest recorded home-opening attendance at L. Dale Mitchell as far back as 2000.
The offense was firing on all cylinders throughout the contest, putting up runs in seven of the eight innings the team went to the plate. Oklahoma notched season highs in runs (20) and hits (21), while the pitching staff recorded its first shutout of the season and struck out 15 batters to just four walks. The staff has recorded double-digit strikeouts in all five games of the early season and the 15 Friday night tied a season-best, previously done against Tennessee (2/17).
Starting pitcher Braden Davis was electric in his second start of the season. The lefty transfer hurled six scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits and one walk to accompany a career-high eight strikeouts.
The Sooners put up crooked numbers in five innings, starting in the first off a RBI double from senior Bryce Madron and RBI single from junior Jackson Nicklaus. Madron kept rolling into the second with a two-run double prior to a RBI single from redshirt senior Michael Snyder.
In his first game of the season, senior third baseman Anthony Mackenzie homered in his second at-bat of the season, launching a solo shot to right center in the third for his 12th career home run. In the fourth, Snyder notched his third RBI of the contest on a sacrifice fly to center to plate junior John Spikerman.
Spikerman followed suit in the fifth with a two-run single to begin a six-run inning. Sophomore Easton Carmichael, Snyder and Nicklaus all registered RBI doubles to push runs across in the frame. Mackenzie closed the inning’s scoring with an RBI groundout.
To the seventh, junior catcher Scott Mudler hit a big fly to right center for his first home run as a Sooner and third of his collegiate career.
In the seventh and eighth innings, freshmen Dasan Harris and Isaiah Lane recorded their first collegiate runs batted in with Harris lacing an RBI single to third prior to Lane ripping a three-run triple to right field. Both were the first collegiate hits.
Twelve Sooners recorded a hit in the game with nine batting in at least one run.
The OU bullpen finished the job, with senior RHP Jett Lodes, freshman righty Brad Pruett and junior RHP Myles Meyer going 2.0, 0.2 and 0.1 scoreless innings, respectively. Meyer K’ed a pair while Lodes fanned one.
The teams return to L. Dale Mitchell Park Saturday for doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. CT. The games can be seen on ESPN+ and heard locally on SportsTalk 1400 AM/99.3 FM or nationwide on The Varsity app.
Single game tickets and mini-plan options are available via SoonerSports.com/tickets.
For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.
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