Series Preview: Hogs visit Florida in second straight top-five SEC series
RADIO: HawgSports on DriveTime | Thursday
Arkansas remained undefeated in conference, winning the first of three games, 6-3, against the No. 2 Florida Gators in Gainesville on Friday night.
The Razorbacks (17-5) got six and two-thirds innings of quality work from starter Blaine Knight on his way to his fourth win of the season. Knight threw 107 pitches and struck out 10, one shy of his career best. Freshman Heston Kjerstad continued his hot hitting and was a triple shy of becoming the first Razorback since 1994 to hit for the cycle.
The Gators (19-5) sent out potential No. 1 pick Brady Singer to face the Hogs. For the second straight year, the Razorbacks solved Singer's stuff, scoring 6 runs on 7 hits in his seven innings on the mound. Florida's two homers weren't enough to keep up the Razorback offense.
Here's how the Hogs took game one in Gainesville:
THE WINNING INNINGS
After both starting pitchers retired their respective sides in the first inning, Dominic Fletcher got Arkansas' first hit with a bunt single to the pitcher in the second. Jordan McFarland followed that up with a walk and was brought in to score by an RBI double to left from Heston Kjerstad. Later, Carson Shaddy hit a liner off Brady Singer that bounced into right field, scoring both McFarland and Kjerstad and giving the Hogs a 3-0 lead after two.
A bunt single and two walks loaded the bases for Florida with only one out in the bottom of the second, but Blaine Knight got out of the major jam without surrendering a single run.
Fletcher lead off the fourth inning with a solo shot off the scoreboard to give the Hogs a 4-0 lead. Later that inning, Shaddy scored Kjerstad on a sacrifice fly, pushing it to 5-0 Arkansas.
Deacon Liput brought Florida back within 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run bomb to right center after a leadoff walk issued by Knight.
Kjerstad blasted a two-out solo homer to right field for his third hit of the day, making it 6-2 Arkansas in the top of the sixth.
Florida's Wil Dalton launched a no-doubt solo homer in the seventh inning to make it 6-3 Arkansas, but that was all the damage the Gators would do the rest of the contest.
STAT OF THE GAME
Heston Kjerstad hit an RBI double in the second inning. Arkansas has 46 doubles on the year and has knocked through at least one double in 19 of 22 games so far this season.
For the second straight game, Arkansas' starting 1 through 4 hitters struggled to put the ball in play. Biggers, Cole, Martin and Bonfield combined to go 1 for 18 with 6 strikeouts.
Razorback pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts on the night, including 10 from starter Blaine Knight, just one punch out short of his career-best 11.
WINNING PITCHER
WIN: Blaine Knight (Arkansas): 6 2/3 IP (107 pitches), 5 H, 10 K's, 4 BB, 3 ER
SAVE: Matt Cronin (Arkansas): 2 IP (36 pitches), 1 H, 4 K's, 0 BB, 0 ER
UP NEXT...
Game two of the Florida series will take place tomorrow, Saturday, March 24 in Gainesville. First pitch is set for 11:00 am (CDT) and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
