Diamond Hogs Blank Aggies; Next Up at SEC Baseball Tournament Ole Miss

 

HOOVER, Ala. – The 20th-ranked and No. 7 seed Arkansas baseball team (36-21) used a solo home run from Eric Fisher and a three-run seventh inning to knock off No. 10 seed Texas A&M (33-24) 4-0 in the opening round of the SEC Baseball Tournament Tuesday at the Hoover Met.

The Diamond Hogs used another stellar outing from sophomore Trey Killian who tossed 6.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts to earn his second straight win, while Zach Jackson came on and worked 3.0 perfect innings to earn his second save of the year.

Fisher provided the fireworks early, launching a solo home run down the right field line in the second inning to give Arkansas a 1-0 lead. The long ball was his team-leading ninth of the year, who now ranks third in the SEC in home runs.

The Razorbacks went quietly from there until the seventh inning when a perfect hit and run single by Bobby Wernes sparked a three-run frame to create a cushion for Arkansas. Freshman Alex Gosser lined a single to right field to plate the first run of the frame, while Clark Eagan was hit by a pitch and Andrew Benintendi walked with the bases loaded to send the Razorbacks to a 4-0 victory.

The Razorbacks advance to the second round of the championship and will take on No. 2 seed Ole Miss Wednesday at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. with Chris Oliver taking the mound for Arkansas.

Head Coach Dave Van Horn Quotes

Opening comment: “A pretty well played game. Eric hit a changeup in the right spot, got it out of there and gave us a chance to relax. Trey Killian just came out and pretty much does what Trey does every time he gets on the mound. He just did a tremendous job on a short week’s rest, like Mengden. They were toe to toe. I am real proud of my team for coming out and playing hard.”

Game Notes

  • The Razorbacks improved to 24-33 all-time in the SEC Tournament and 9-11 in tournament openers.
  • Arkansas advances to take on 10th-ranked and No. 2 seed Ole Miss. The Razorbacks dropped two of three to the Rebels on the road during the regular season.
  • Texas A&M marked the first No. 10 seed Arkansas has ever played in the SEC Tournament.
  • Arkansas turned a double play in the fifth inning to give the Razorbacks an SEC-leading 55 on the year.
  • The Razorbacks have recorded nine shutouts on the year, including two in the last three games. The nine shutouts rank third in the league behind
  • Arkansas has allowed two runs or less in 31 of 57 games this season.
  • Eric Fisher’s solo home run in the second inning gave him nine homers on the year to rank third in the SEC.
  • Trey Killian’s 6.0 scoreless innings marked his first outing of the season without allowing a run.
  • Killian has allowed one earned run or less in seven of his 13 outings this season.

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