Razorbacks open baseball season with James Madison

Diamond Hogs look to lock up series with Dukes this afternoon

From the University of Arkansas

arkansasrazorbacks.com

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas baseball season got underway this weekend with the Hogs taking 2-of-3 against James Madison and an eye on a series win today.

Hogs 6, Dukes 4

Behind big performances from Will McEntire and Jared Sprague-Lott, No. 3 Arkansas overcame a three-run deficit in the first inning to secure a 6-4 Opening Day win against James Madison at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday.

With the win, the Razorbacks improved to 21-1 overall on Opening Day under head coach Dave Van Horn, including a 16-1 record when kicking off the season inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium.

McEntire, who entered in relief of starter Hagen Smith in the second, spun 5.2 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts to earn the win. After JMU scored three in the top of the first, the Razorback veteran turned in four consecutive scoreless frames to give Arkansas an opportunity to work its way back from its early deficit.

RBI singles from Ben McLaughlin and Peyton Holt in the bottom half of the first cut the deficit to one before a pair of solo homers in the bottom of the second catapulted the Razorbacks in front.

Sprague-Lott, a Richmond transfer, led off the second with a solo home run, and Hudson White, a Texas Tech transfer, swatted the go-ahead homer shortly after.

Arkansas extended its lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to Sprague-Lott’s clutch hitting. The Razorbacks’ starting third baseman drove home two runs on a single to put the Razorbacks up, 6-3.

Hogs 15, Dukes 5

Ty Wilmsmeyer’s show-stopping performance, including a career-high five RBI and a spectacular home run robbery at the outfield wall, carried No. 3 Arkansas to a convincing 15-5 run-rule victory over James Madison on Saturday.

Batting in the nine-hole, the Mizzou transfer went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a team-leading five runs batted in. Wilmsmeyer socked a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third, giving Arkansas its first lead of the afternoon.

The Razorbacks’ speedy centerfielder drove a run in the bottom of the fourth with his RBI single to left before delivering the play of the game in the top half of the fifth.

With two outs in the inning, JMU three-hole hitter Fenwick Trimble drove a 1-2 pitch from Arkansas starter Brady Tygart deep to the wall in center, but Wilmsmeyer timed his jump perfectly and scaled the fence to bring back what would have been a solo home run.

Koty Frank, making his first appearance on the mound since his season-ending injury a year ago, kept the Dukes at bay for the remainder of the ballgame. The right-hander, who entered in a save situation in the sixth, escaped a jam and turned in 2.1 shutout innings of relief with one strikeout.

Dukes 7, Hogs 3

Mason Molina (pictured above) struck out nine in his much-anticipated Razorback pitching debut, but No. 3 Arkansas (2-1) fell to James Madison (1-2), 7-3, on a crisp Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The left-hander, who transferred to Arkansas from Texas Tech during the offseason, fanned three in his first inning of work and added six more strikeouts across the second, third and fourth frames.

Molina departed the ballgame after completing 3.2 innings on 72 total pitches (45 strikes), allowing two runs on three hits while issuing three walks.

Molina was staked with an early two-run lead, thanks to Ben McLaughlin’s RBI double and Jack Wagner’s RBI single in the bottom half of the first. Arkansas’ 2-0 advantage would hold up until the top of the fourth, when JMU broke through for a pair of runs to end Molina’s day and even the ballgame at two.

The Dukes broke the deadlock

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in the seventh, scoring four after loading the bases to take a 6-2 lead. Arkansas attempted to mount a rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a run on Wehiwa Aloy’s RBI double to cut the deficit to three.

JMU pitcher Joe Vogatsky, however, extinguished the Razorback threat after that. The right-hander earned the win after throwing 80 pitches over 4.1 innings in relief, limiting Arkansas to one run on two hits and three walks.

Aloy (2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI) and Kendall Diggs (2-for-5, 2 2B) each turned in multi-hit games in Sunday’s setback.

Eight of the Razorbacks’ nine batters, including true freshman Nolan Souza, recorded at least one base knock in the ballgame.

The Hogs will once again look to clinch their first series win of the season in today’s finale against the Dukes. First pitch is scheduled for noon, with true freshman left-hander Colin Fisher set to make his collegiate debut on the mound. To accommodate JMU’s travel, no inning can start after 3 p.m.

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