The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks secured a series victory with an 11-1 win over Murray State after taking the series opener on Friday.
The Arkansas pitching staff has been lights out to start the season, and that trend continued in Game 2 against the Racers. The Hogs allowed just three hits on the afternoon and struck out 14 Murray State hitters, bringing their NCAA-leading total on the year to 147.
The Razorbacks were held to just one hit through three frames before breaking loose for nine runs in the next two innings. Arkansas finished with 11 hits, seven of which came with runners in scoring position. Here’s a closer look at the action and some of the most notable developments that stood out.
SCORING RECAP
- Bottom 4 – Arkansas 1, Murray State 0: Ben McLaughlin walked to start the frame and was followed by a bunt single by Jared Sprague-Lott and Ross Lovich being hit by a pitch before Jayson Jones worked a bases-loaded walk to bring in the game’s first run.
- Bottom 4 – Arkansas 3, Murray State 0: After falling behind 1-2 against Murray State’s best pitcher Jacob Pennington, freshman Nolan Souza ripped a two-run single up the middle to drive home two more runs.
- Bottom 4 – Arkansas 4, Murray State 0: With runners at the corners and nobody out, Ryder Helfrick grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, which brought home the fourth run of the inning.
- Top 5 – Arkansas 4, Murray State 1: After picking up their first hit in the fourth inning, the Racers finally got on the board against Tygart with a solo home run to left field hit by Carson Garner.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 5, Murray State 1: Kendall Diggs rips the third pitch of the frame 104 mph off the bat and 340 feet to the building in right field for his first home run of the year.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 6, Murray State 1: Wehiwa Aloy reaches second base on an error on the Murray State center fielder and moves to third on a bloop single by Ben McLaughlin before Ross Lovich drives him in with a double ripped down the right-field line.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 7, Murray State 1: Jayson Jones with a nice piece of two-strike hitting drops a single into shallow center field to add another run.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 8, Murray State 1: With runners at the corners and one out, the Racers bring in a lefty to face Souza, but the Hogs counter with pinch-hitter Hudson Polk, who delivers a flyball out to center field deep enough to score Lovich from third.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 9, Murray State 1: After Helfrick reached via walk, Will Edmunson picks up his second hit of the day with a single through the left side to score Jones from second.
- Bottom 8 – Arkansas 10, Murray State 1: Ben McLaughlin reached with a bunt single and moved to second on a throwing error before Jared Sprague-Lott delivered his second hit of the day to drive him home.
- Bottom 8 – Arkansas 11, Murray State 1: The Razorbacks win in ‘walk-off’ fashion as Ross Lovich’s second double of the day brings Sprague-Lott all the way home from first and brings the run rule into effect.
MVB (Most Valuable Bat)
Ross Lovich: After a five-run sixth inning to make it 9-1, it looked like the Hogs would be on track for a run-rule victory. The Hogs were then held scoreless for the next two innings, but a two-out rally in the eighth brought the game to a merciful end as Arkansas went up 10.
Lovich delivered the final swing of the day as he ripped an RBI double into the gap in right-center, his second of the afternoon. Between being one of four Hogs to record multiple hits, scoring two runs and driving in two more, it’s hard to find a better day than the one Lovich delivered out of the DH spot.
The Missouri transfer, who also had three hits on Tuesday, adds another interesting layer to Arkansas’ outfield battles with his experienced left-handed bat.
MVA (Most Valuable Arm)
Brady Tygart: Most weekends – and on most teams – striking out a career-high 10 hitters in five innings would probably be the story of the weekend, but Brady Tygart doing it this afternoon is almost just par for the course given how the Hogs have filled it up on the mound.
Still, Tygart’s big day was arguably the best showing he’s had as a starter and further solidifies the Razorbacks’ argument to having the nation’s best weekend rotation. Tygart allowed just three hits and threw 51 of his 76 pitches for a strike while walking just one.
Tygart showed great command of his fastball, which hovered around the 91-93 MPH range for most of the afternoon. The bulk of his strikeouts came from his mid-70s curveball, and that two-pitch combo was just about all he needed to keep the Racers in check two trips through the lineup.
DON’T OVERLOOK
- Senior RHP Will McEntire faced the minimum in two strong innings of work while striking out two. On the year, he’s now logged 13.2 innings across five outings and allowed just three earned runs (1.98 ERA) while limiting opponents to a .170 batting average.
- After striking out the side in order during his first outing of the year on Tuesday, sophomore RHP Cooper Dossett followed it up with another perfect frame and added two strikeouts.
- Despite being pinch-hit for in the fifth inning, freshman Nolan Souza made the most of his two plate appearances, working a walk and driving in a pair of key runs for Arkansas with the bases loaded. The Honolulu (Hawaii) native is now 3-for-8 on the year and reached base in 7-of-12 plate appearances.
- Kendall Diggs Hit Streak Counter: 10
- Will Edmunson got the start in center field over Ty Wilmsmeyer and made the most of it, going 2-for-4 with a walk while driving in a run. He was caught stealing in the first inning, which kind of killed the early vibes, but the Hutchinson (JUCO) transfer continues to make a strong push for an everyday role in the lineup.
- Arkansas finished 9-19 (.474) with runners on base and 7-13 (.538) with runners in scoring position.
UP NEXT
The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks and the Murray State Racers will return to Baum-Walker Stadium tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT) to complete the series. The game will be streamed