No. 5 Razorbacks outlast pesky Bulldogs in 7-5 win

FAYETTEVILLE -- Robert Moore scorched a double, and Casey Opitz lofted a routine fly ball that turned into a double.

They both did the same damage in the box score, driving in two runs apiece for the unbeaten No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday. The pair of two-run doubles, combined with Christian Franklin's hustle to beat out a double play and strong work from the bullpen, helped the University of Arkansas outlast Gonzaga 7-5 before a crowd of 1,650 at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Razorbacks (4-0) took a step toward solving Gonzaga's mastery over them, snapping a four-game losing streak in the series on a cold day made even chillier by a strong northerly wind that affected multiple balls for both teams.

Gonzaga (2-3), which had won three games in a row against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, showed its pluck by fighting from two or more runs behind twice.

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"They're going to fight you to the end," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "They're not going to roll over. They've got a good club."

The Bulldogs outhit the University of Arkansas 11-8, and their pitchers combined for seven strikeouts, two more than was registered by Arkansas pitchers.

But the Razorbacks broke a 5-5 tie with two runs in the seventh inning, triggered by Franklin just beating out a double-play relay that withstood a replay review.

Heston Kjerstad started the decisive rally with a one-out walk in the seventh against Jacob Rutherford (0-1) after falling behind 1-2. Matt Goodheart laced a single to right field, and Casey Martin walked to load the bases.

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The Bulldogs came a half-step away from turning the double play, but replays showed Franklin hit the bag just before shortstop Ernie Yake's relay. The fielder's choice allowed Kjerstad to score his second run of the game, and a wild pitch by Trystan Vrieling let Goodheart scamper home to make it 7-5.

"We just made too many mistakes, and they capitalized on them," Gonzaga Coach Mark Machtolf said. "They're a real good team.

"That was a big double play that we almost turned that we looked at. Obviously it must have been just safe, bang-bang."

Caden Monke (1-0), Elijah Trest and Zebulon Vermillion combined for four shutout innings behind Kole Ramage and Kevin Kopps, who were roughed up for five earned runs in five innings.

Monke struck out three while allowing a hit and a walk to pick up his first collegiate win.

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"My fastball and slider were the two pitches that were working today," the left-hander Monke said. "I'm pretty confident that I can go out there and throw strikes and get outs when the team needs me."

Vermillion pitched around a pair of singles and a loud out on Gabriel Hughes' crushed fly ball to deep left field to post his first save of the season and the third of his career.

"Wrong day to hit it to left," Machtolf said.

Arkansas broke on top 2-0 in the second inning with a two-out rally. Cole Austin drew a walk after consecutive singles by Jacob Nesbit and Opitz, then freshman Robert Moore smoked the first pitch he saw from left-hander Keaton Knueppel inside the third-base bag for a two-run double.

"My mindset was batting in the nine-hole. With Braydon [Webb] and all those guys coming up, I thought they were gonna attack me early," Moore said. "I looked for a fastball in and I got one."

Gonzaga wasted no time getting back into contention against Ramage. Yake drew a leadoff walk in the third inning, and Brett Harris got an opposite-field shot into the wind that cleared the right-field fence for a two-run home run and 2-2 tie.

The Razorbacks regained the lead in a three-run bottom of the third with the wind helping their cause.

Kjerstad opened the frame with a single, then Martin and Franklin drew one-out walks. Nesbit's soft ground ball to second base scored Kjerstad to give the Razorbacks a one-run lead. Opitz followed with his fly ball to center that got pushed around and eluded the glove of diving center fielder Josh Bristyan.

"You've gotta love that," Opitz said. "That's baseball, especially playing out here where you can get the crazy wind going wherever. Van Horn talked to us early and said, 'If the ball goes up, bust your butt and get to the next bag.' The baseball gods were on my side today."

Gonzaga needed just two innings to forge another tie.

Mason Marenco tripled and scored on Bristyan's ground out in the fourth. In the fifth, Ryan Sullivan and Hughes hit back-to-back doubles off Kopps to make it 5-4, then Stephen Lund hit an infield single. Jack Machtolf's slow roller to first base brought in Hughes with the tying run.

Lund had three hits to lead the Zags, while Harris, Tyler Rando and Sullivan had two hits apiece. Opitz was the lone two-hit Hog.

Sports on 02/21/2020