COLLEGE BASEBALL

Big fly falls short, and so do the Hogs

Arkansas pitchers Blaine Knight throws during a game against Arizona on Friday, March 3, 2017, at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas.
Arkansas pitchers Blaine Knight throws during a game against Arizona on Friday, March 3, 2017, at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas.

FRISCO, Texas -- Arizona pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout to edge the Arkansas Razorbacks 3-0 on Friday in the first game of the Frisco Classic at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

The No. 20 Razorbacks threatened early and once late against last season's runner-up in the College World Series, but Luke Bonfield's deep fly ball was caught in the eighth inning as the Hogs dropped their second game in three outings.

Arkansas (7-2) got going in the first as Eric Cole reached on an infield throwing error and Jake Arledge laid down a bunt single. But Arizona starter J.C. Cloney retired Luke Bonfield on a fielder's choice, struck out Grant Koch and set down Dominic Fletcher on a foul out to the catcher.

"We did have a couple of shots early but just didn't capitalize," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We got a runner on with an error, popped up a bunt, it dropped, and we had two runners on; then our three-hole hitter hit a line drive right at the pitcher, and he made a heck of play to knock it down and get them out of trouble."

Cole reached again in the top of the third when No. 5 Arizona (9-0) shortstop Cameron Cannon committed his second throwing error. Arledge grounded into a double play in the next at-bat.

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville pitcher Blaine Knight matched Cloney early, retiring the first eight hitters he faced and 12 of the first 13 as the game was scoreless through four innings.

Knight was touched up by Jared Oliva's RBI double in the fifth inning and J.J. Matijevic's RBI double in the sixth as Arizona took a 2-0 lead. The sophomore right-hander struck out a career-high 10 in 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs -- only 1 earned -- while not walking anybody.

"It was good to get 10 strikeouts, but a win would have been better," Knight said. "I had them guessing a little, and they guessed right on the two [RBI] doubles. They hit the middle of the bat, but this is a great pitchers' park and held some well-hit balls in the stadium."

Cloney worked through 7 2/3 innings, striking out 7 while allowing 3 hits and just 1 walk for Arizona. He has thrown 38 consecutive scoreless innings going back to last season.

"Cloney just throws too many strikes," Van Horn said. "Cloney had his fastball going good, and his breaking pitches were good. That's a tough combination.

"That's what a veteran pitcher can do against you. Cloney was all-tournament at the College World Series, but Blaine Knight kept us in the game the whole way. It was still 1-0 going into the sixth inning."

Arkansas put a scare into Arizona relief ace Cameron Ming in the top of eighth inning. Jordan McFarland led off with a single off Cloney, who then struck out pinch-hitter Jaxon Williams and coaxed Cole to hit into a fielder's choice force out for the second out. Ming relieved Cloney after his 104th pitch and promptly walked Arledge.

Up stepped Bonfield, who hit a deep drive to center field that died just before going over the wall to give Arkansas a 3-2 lead.

"I had the pitch I wanted on the third out of that inning where we could have gone ahead," Bonfield said. "It was a 1-0 count, and he tried to pitch me inside, but the ball leaked over the middle of the plate. Again, another ballpark or different conditions, it might have been out of here.

"We will need to adjust the rest of the tournament and try be a little more oriented to right-center field power areas."

Arizona added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning, and Ming struck out two Hogs in the ninth to close the game out.

Up next

ARKANSAS BASEBALL

VS. NEBRASKA

WHEN 7:30 p.m. Central WHERE Dr. Pepper Ballpark, Frisco, Texas RECORDS Arkansas 7-2, Nebraska 2-4 SERIES Nebraska leads 11-9 LAST MEETING Nebraska 6, Arkansas 4 on April 2, 2014, in Fayetteville RADIO Razorback Sports Network. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings. PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas RHP Trevor Stephan (2-0, 0.93 ERA); Nebraska RHP Jake Hohensee (0-0, 2.08 ERA) SHORT HOPS Sophomore Blaine Knight lowered his ERA from 3.00 to 2.40 by allowing one earned run in six innings. … The Razorbacks were shut out for the first time since a 7-0 loss at Mississippi State on May 19. … Arkansas and Nebraska split a two-game series in their last meeting, with the Razorbacks winning 4-3 and the Cornhuskers winning 6-4 on April 1-2, 2014.

— Tom Murphy

SUN BELT

UALR 17, IPFW 2

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (3-6) jumped on Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (3-6) early Friday, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first inning of an easy victory at Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock.

The Trojans — who finished with 19 hits — added a run in the second inning, scored two runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings, then added three more in the bottom of the eighth. UALR could have done more damage, but left 11 runners on base.

Carter Brown (1-0) earned the victory for UALR after allowing both Fort Wayne runs on 2 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts in 6 innings.

Cameron Knight was 4 for 4 to lead UALR, while Hunter Owens went 4 for 5. Zach Baker was 3 for 4 and Ty Gunter was 3 for 5 for the Trojans.

ARKANSAS STATE 5,

CINCINNATI 4

Arkansas State University (7-4) scored three times in the the seventh inning to beat Cincinnati 5-4 on Friday night at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.

Trailing 4-2 in the seventh against Cincinnati reliever A.J. Kullman, Casey Vaughan doubled down the right-field line with one out. After two hit batsmen loaded the bases, Grant Hawkins walked to make it 4-3.

Drew Tipton struck out, then Joe Scrimpf lined a single to right-center field to score Alex Howard and Jake Bakamus to put the Red Wolves up 5-4.

Tanner Kirby (2-0) got out of a jam in the ninth inning by striking out A.J. Bumpas on a pitch in the dirt to end the game.

SOUTHLAND

MISSOURI STATE 5,

CENTRAL ARKANSAS 0

First baseman Hunter Strong went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk, but the University of Central Arkansas (6-4) was shut out in Friday’s series-opener against Missouri State (8-1) in Springfield, Mo.

Missouri State took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a Jeremy Eierman home run to left-center field, then tacked on two more runs in the fifth on an RBI fielder’s choice and a wild pitch. Hunter Steinmetz hit a two-run double in the eighth inning to set the final score.

SWAC

GRAMBLING STATE 4, UAPB 3

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (0-8, 0-1) scored all three of its runs Friday in the seventh inning to take a 3-2 lead, but gave up single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to drop its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener against Grambling State University (5-5, 1-0) at the Torii Hunter Complex in Pine Bluff.

— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Sports on 03/04/2017

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