Rapid Recap: Campbell, Hogs dominate Ole Miss in Game 1
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FAYETTEVILLE — Ole Miss struck first, but Arkansas answered quickly and Isaiah Campbell took care of the rest.
After Grae Kessinger homered in the first inning, the Razorbacks responded with four runs in the home half and piled it on in an 11-2 win over the Rebels in Game 1 of the Fayetteville Super Regional.
That was more than enough run support for Arkansas’ ace. A week after dominating TCU in the regional and a few days after getting picked 76th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft, Campbell was even better against Ole Miss.
Despite allowing homers to Kessinger in the first and Thomas Dillard in the ninth, he went a career-long 8 1/3 innings. Those were the only runs and two of the five hits he gave up, as Campbell walked one and struck out seven.
It was clear from the beginning that Ole Miss starter Will Ethridge was in for a long day, as Trevor Ezell led off with an eight-pitch at bat that resulted in a double into the left field corner.
Casey Martin, who showed signs of breaking out of his slump in the final game of the regional, followed with a two-strike single to put runners on the corners and Matt Goodheart nearly hit a three-run homer, but it was foul by a couple of feet.
Instead, the Razorbacks had to settle for an RBI single by Dominic Fletcher that bounced over the first baseman’s head and wait until Jack Kenley’s at bat for a three-run home run with two outs. That gave them a 4-1 lead.
By the time Ethridge finally got out of the inning, he had thrown 45 pitches.
In the second inning, Arkansas benefited from an error by Kessinger to allow its leadoff man, Christian Franklin, to reach. After Ezell’s second double of the game - and SEC-leading 24th of the season - Martin and Goodheart drove them in with a sacrifice fly and RBI ground out, respectively.
Franklin reached as the leadoff man again in the fourth, this time on a hit by pitch, and advanced to second on a balk. That set up Martin’s RBI single that finally chased Ethridge, a fifth-round pick by the Rockies earlier this week.
When the book officially closed on him, Ethridge was charged with eight runs - six earned - on six hits and two walks while striking out two in 3 1/3 innings. It was his shortest outing since going three innings in an injury-shortened start against Long Beach State on March 1.
The first guy reliever Tyler Myers faced was Goodheart, who launched a two-run home run off the scoreboard to make it 9-1.
Arkansas tacked on two more run in the sixth with a solo home run by Ezell and bases-loaded walk to Casey Opitz. Ezell - who finished the game 3 for 5 with an RBI and three runs - nearly had another homer in the seventh, but center fielder Ryan Olenek brought it back with a great catch.
After Dillard’s ninth-inning home run, Campbell left the field to a thunderous standing ovation and Marshall Denton closed it out by getting the final two outs.
The Razorbacks can punch their ticket to the College World Series for a second straight year with a win over Ole Miss at 2 p.m. Sunday. It will be televised on ESPNU.
One of Arkansas’ freshmen, right-hander Connor Noland (3-4, 3.56 ERA) or left-hander Patrick Wicklander (6-2, 4.29 ERA), will start against the Rebels’ Doug Nikhazy (8-3, 2.98 ERA), a freshman lefty.
If Ole Miss wins that game, it would force the if-necessary Game 3 on Monday, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
ATTENDANCE
Paid: 11,350 (Baum-Walker Stadium postseason record)
Tickets scanned: 10,821
BOX SCORE
