FAYETTEVILLE -- Gonzaga bullied Arkansas' young bullpen in the late innings Wednesday and beat the No. 14 Razorbacks 15-10 at Baum Stadium.
The Bulldogs (6-6) erased a four-run deficit with five runs in the seventh inning. Arkansas reliever Hunter Hart threw three wild pitches with runners on base, and Anthony Dahl hit batters on consecutive pitches during the inning.
SHORT HOPS
Gonzaga beat Arkansas for the fourth consecutive time. The Bulldogs won twice at Baum Stadium last season and upset the then-No. 1 Razorbacks during a game at the 2013 Coke Classic in Surprise, Ariz. Gonzaga leads the all-time series 5-3. … Rick Nomura was 2-for-4 with a walk. His 5 RBI were a career-high. … The Razorbacks’ bullpen had given up 13 earned runs prior to giving up 12 on Wednesday. … Arkansas leadoff hitter Jake Arledge reached base twice in four plate appearances and has a .628 on-base percentage this season. … Junior catcher Alex Gosser started and played for the first time this season.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY Off
FRIDAY Western Illinois, 3:05 p.m.
SATURDAY Western Illinois, 2:05 p.m.
SUNDAY Western Illinois, 1:05 p.m.
MONDAY Off
TUESDAY Grambling State, 6:35 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Grambling State, 3:05 p.m.
Aided by an error and two walks, Gonzaga's first six batters reached base in the seventh. The Bulldogs took an 11-10 lead on Taylor Jones' two-out RBI single off Jordan Rodriguez.
Gonzaga added another run in the eighth on Joey Harris' RBI single before scoring three times in the ninth.
Twelve Arkansas pitchers -- including 10 in their first year with the program -- allowed 18 hits, walked 5, hit 5 batters and threw 4 wild pitches.
"What happened tonight, basically the bullpen was a disaster, bottom line," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "They've been getting a lot of positive pub; not tonight. That was bad.
"Obviously we didn't pitch very good at all."
The game was reminiscent of Arkansas' second loss to Gonzaga last season. The Razorbacks allowed 12 runs over the final 3 innings of that game, committing 3 errors, walking a school-record 13 and hitting 4 batters.
"Deja vu," Van Horn said. "They pretty much have the same team. They have a veteran team and a good offense.
"Sometimes you have to lose before you can start winning big. That's the way it went last year."
The Razorbacks took a 10-6 lead on Rick Nomura's two-out grand slam in the sixth. Nomura's hit cleared the wall near the 365-foot marker in right-center field and appeared to give Arkansas the momentum heading to the seventh.
"I was proud of our guys to come back and keep fighting," Gonzaga Coach Mark Machtolf said. "That's kind of the way it goes in the midweek when you're trying to find guys that can pitch and you're not really sure yet this early in the year.
"It can be up and down, so you've got to work your way through it."
Nomura's home run accounted for four of Arkansas' nine runs with two outs. The Razorbacks (10-3) scored three with two outs in the fourth to tie the game.
After two quick outs, Arkansas had five consecutive batters reach base in the fourth. Clark Eagan walked with the bases loaded, and Cullen Gassaway followed with a two-run single to tie the game 6-6.
Nomura also had a two-out single in the third to pull the Razorbacks within one run.
"We got a lot of big hits," Van Horn said. "A couple of innings started with two outs, and we put some runs up. But it's kind of disheartening for your offense when you keep fighting and fighting, and you finally get on top ... and the next thing you know, you're down a run."
After Gonzaga took the lead in the seventh, the Bulldogs pitched Justin Vernia, their Saturday starter. The junior right-hander pitched three scoreless innings and didn't allow a hit.
Sports on 03/10/2016