FAYETTEVILLE — Jimmy Bosco’s grand slam punctuated a five-run third inning and No. 13 Arkansas beat Georgia 8-3 in a game delayed 1 hour, 18 minutes Saturday at Baum Stadium.
The bottom part of the lineup started the big inning when Brian Anderson, who made his second start of the season, singled to left field. The nine-hole hitter scored on a RBI single from Jacob Mahan to tie the game 1-1.
Arkansas (23-7, 6-5 SEC) later loaded the bases for Bosco, who extended the lead to 5-1 with his first career grand slam. The sophomore right fielder made an error in the second inning that allowed Georgia to score an unearned run.
"I felt like a little bit of stress was relieved,” Bosco said of the grand slam. “The bigger part of it was that my team was winning after that and as long as I could contribute and make up [for the error], that's what mattered to me."
The Razorbacks added two more runs in a very long sixth inning. Tim Carver hit a two-run double in the sixth before the game was delayed 1 hour, 12 minutes by lightning. The other delay was a six-minute pushback from the original start time.
In the seventh, Jake Wise hit a RBI single to score Joe Serrano and add to the breakout game from the bottom part of the lineup. In Arkansas’ four game losing streak, the seventh, eighth and ninth hitters in the lineup had combined for just two hits in 43 at-bats.
“We got a couple of base hits there, actually four,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “It was good to see the bottom half of the order put together a good ballgame and it helps.
“That last run we scored was big for us.”
Barrett Astin started his second game of the season on the mound and pitched 4 2/3 innings, striking out five batters and allowing two unearned runs on a total of five hits.
Brandon Moore took over in the fifth and pitched 3 1/3 innings, spanning the long rain delay. Moore improved to 3-0 this season.
"He's a sinkerball thrower so he can throw them over the middle and let them ground them. He had some guys hit up the middle, but most guys were rolling over everything,” said Wise about Moore, who allowed one run on four hits.
“His command wasn't as good as it was (before the delay), but with the sink on his ball he just had to throw strikes and he did well.”
Michael Palazzone, who pitched eight shutout innings last season against Arkansas, took the loss for the Bulldogs (19-12, 5-6). Palazzone gave up five runs in four innings Saturday.
Colby Suggs closed the game for the Razorbacks and struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth.
Arkansas and Georgia will face off in the rubber match at 12:05 p.m. on Easter Sunday.
DJ Baxendale, the Razorbacks' Friday starter for much of the season, (5-1, 5.23 ERA) will be on the mound. Baxendale has struggled in his last two starts, allowing 13 runs in six innings at Mississippi State and LSU.