FAYETTEVILLE — An opposite-field shot by Jordan McFarland in the second inning started what proved to be a home run derby for Arkansas on Tuesday.
It was the junior’s first long ball of the season and the first of five the Razorbacks hit in their 19-2 win over Northwestern State at Baum-Walker Stadium, which was called with one out in the ninth because of rain. That is the most they’ve hit in a single game since doing it both ends of a doubleheader against Kentucky last season.
The wind looked like it might keep McFarland’s in the park, like it did to Casey Martin the previous inning, but he got just enough backspin on the ball to barely carry it over the right field fence.
There was no doubt about Arkansas’ second home run, which came the following inning. Heston Kjerstad crushed Kyle Swanson’s 1-2 pitch to dead center for a 416-foot blast that had a 110 mile per hour exit velocity.
That prompted a pitching change, but Jose Vasquez wasn’t any more effective for the Demons. His first pitch was hit over the right field wall by Jack Kenley, marking the first time the Razorbacks have gone back-to-back since Jared Gates and Evan Lee did it last season at Florida.
Curtis Washington Jr. joined the fun in the seventh by launching his first career home run, depositing a 3-1 pitch into the left field bullpen. The swing was part of a 3-for-5 performance that raised his batting average to .400 in limited action.
The final long ball was an opposite-field shot later in the inning off the bat off Dominic Fletcher. It was a two-run blast that made it 14-2.
In between all of the home runs, the Razorbacks also hit six doubles and a triple, giving them a season-high 12 extra-base hits. Zack Plunkett had three of the two-baggers
On the mound, Kole Ramage made his first start of the season and threw a career-high five innings. He had struggled over his last five appearances, but did a nice job shutting down Northwestern State’s offense.
The Demons managed just one run on five hits and one walk against the sophomore right-hander, who also struck out five batters.
Arkansas cycled through four more pitchers the rest of the way, with Zebulon Vermillion, Kevin Kopps, and Jacob Kostyshock each throwing one inning and Jacob Burton recording an out before the game was called. Only Kopps was charged with a run.
Both of Northwestern State’s runs were driven in by Sam Taylor singles, with one in the fifth and seventh innings.
The two teams will complete the two-game midweek series at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be streamed on SEC Network-plus, meaning it can be watched online on ESPN3.com or on the WatchESPN app.
Other Tidbits
~The paid attendance was 7,659 with a “tickets scanned” number of 2,547.
~With a walk in the first inning, Matt Goodheart extended his on-base streak to 19 games. He also has a 14-game hitting streak thanks to a fourth-inning single.
~In his first at bat since being ejected for arguing balls and strikes Friday and serving a one-game suspension, Kjerstad ripped a double to the right-center gap. That extended his hitting streak to 13 games, which is one shy of his career high set last year.
~Northwestern State uses a defensive switch, which is different than the much more common defensive shift in that the second and third basemen actually switch back and forth depending on whether it is a right- or left-handed batter. Sam Taylor plays third and Hilton Brown plays second when it’s a right-hander, but they swap positions for lefties. The reasoning is that Taylor is a better fielder and is more likely to get more plays at those positions.
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