COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The Arkansas Razorbacks secured an extra day of rest and at least two games in the SEC tournament with an 8-0 victory over Texas A&M early Saturday afternoon at Blue Bell Park.
Blaine Knight shut down the No. 22 Aggies (36-20, 16-14) for six innings, and the Razorbacks found their swings after A&M and Corbin Martin had quieted Arkansas' bats the night before to even the series.
"That really was all we had to play for today," University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We weren't playing for a championship, just playing to get better and a chance to assure ourselves two ballgames in Hoover, and Hoover is one of those tournaments where you want to win it, but at the same time don't want to wear yourself out."
No. 16 Arkansas (39-15 overall, 18-11 SEC) finished second in the SEC West and fourth overall in the conference.
Arkansas opens plays in Hoover, Ala., on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the double-elimination portion of the tournament against an opponent to be determined.
"We knew what it was coming in, knew it was a big game, wanted to get the bye, extra day of rest," said Knight, who was pushed back a day against A&M after suffering soreness in the back of his arm. "I like having the job of coming in and knowing they trusted me to come in and do that and being able to get the bye so we could go for the title in the SEC. It was fun."
Knight had to have fun watching his team pound out 13 hits, 4 for extra base hits, while scoring in five innings. Two of the extra base hits were Chad Spanberger home runs.
"Our lineup, we say its deeper than it's been in a while," Van Horn said, noting that the Hogs have had lineups in the past capable of scoring almost every inning. "We couldn't say that last year, maybe the year before when we had a good team in 2015, but it kind of slowed down once got past sixth hitter. This team, we've been able to put together good innings even with the bottom of order getting it started."
The Razorbacks pecked away at Aggies starter Stephen Kolek (3-4) with 2 runs in the third, 1 in the fourth and 2 in the fifth.
Eric Cole, batting leadoff for the first time in the series, knocked in Jake Arledge with a single in the third and Cole scored on Luke Bonfield's two-out, opposite-field single.
Arledge knocked in the third run with a shot to right that scored Dominic Fletcher, who led off with a single.
Spanberger, the hero of Arkansas' Game 1 6-4 extra-inning victory, hit his second home run of the series to lead off the fifth. The left-handed hitting first baseman pulled it into the Hogs' bullpen, where the fence is 4 feet lower than the rest of the way around the park. Bonfield and Grant Koch followed with singles to chase Kolek and Fletcher greeted Kaylor Chafin with a single to make it 5-0. Chafin did well to get out of the rest of the inning unscathed.
Knight (7-4), despite feeling some discomfort, yielded three hits in six innings.
"I was cramping in forearm and that is where it was last time against Mississippi State," said Knight, who first complained in the fifth inning, but convinced Van Horn to send him out for the sixth inning. "It's my fault, should hydrate better and I'd be able to get through it."
Arkansas added two more runs in the seventh when Fletcher walked and back-to-back doubles by Shaddy and Biggers made it 7-0.
Spanberger seized the team lead in home runs in the eighth inning, going to left field for his third home run of the series and 14th of the season.
"He was scuffling last week or two but would still find away to get a big hit," Van Horn said. "Even in the first game Thursday, not a good game ,then hits homer in the 10th. Today kind of hits one off the end of the bat and it goes out of the park and he hits a routine fly ball and its way out of here because the wind shifts. He's strong and if you make a mistake or he gets barrel on it,it jumps."
Overall, the Razorbacks finished first in the SEC in homers with 70.
Sports on 05/21/2017