FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas exploded for nine runs on five extra-base hits in the eighth inning to blow open its midweek opener against Memphis on Tuesday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The No. 2 Razorbacks defeated Memphis 14-1 to extend their win streak to three games. The teams are scheduled to play again Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The 14 runs were a season high for Arkansas (15-3). The Razorbacks scored 13 runs in their season-opening victory over Texas Tech on Feb. 20.
Arkansas’ biggest inning of the year included a leadoff home run by Braydon Webb; a 2-run home run by Cayden Wallace and a grand slam by Jacob Nesbit with 1 out; and 2-out RBI doubles by Christian Franklin and Zack Gregory.
The Razorbacks sent 14 batters to the plate and recorded 7 hits and 3 walks in the inning. Pinch hitter Ethan Bates also reached on a catcher’s interference call against Memphis preseason All-American Hunter Goodman.
Memphis pitchers James Muse and Brayden Green combined to throw 66 pitches in the eighth inning. Six earned runs were charged to Green, who threw 56 pitches to record two outs.
Webb’s home run and a 1-out single by Charlie Welch were allowed by Muse, who entered the game in the fourth inning and had allowed just 1 run through his first 3 1/3 innings in relief of starter Dalton Kendrick.
The Razorbacks had six hits over the first seven innings, but poor command by Memphis pitching put an Arkansas runner on base in every inning but the fifth. The Razorbacks drew 10 walks and were hit by three pitches.
Arkansas scored 4 runs over the first 2 innings on 3 hits, 3 walks and 2 hit batters by the left-handed Kendrick, who entered the game with a 14.29 ERA.
Wallace’s RBI single in the first inning gave the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead, and Arkansas added three runs in the second inning on Franklin’s bases-loaded walk and a two-run single by Welch.
All four runs allowed by Kendrick came with two outs in an inning. Two days after the Razorbacks scored all of their runs with 2 outs during a 3-1 victory over Alabama, Arkansas scored 7 runs with 2 outs against the Tigers.
Nesbit extended the Razorbacks’ lead to 5-1 on a bases-loaded infield single to score Brady Slavens in the seventh inning. Nesbit was initially ruled out on a close play at first base, but the call was overturned by replay.
Nesbit, who played second base, was one of several position players to get a rare start Tuesday. Arkansas withheld four every-day position starters — second baseman Robert Moore, catcher Casey Opitz, designated hitter Matt Goodheart and third baseman Cullen Smith — and played Wallace at third base instead of his usual position in right field.
Wallace, a freshman from Greenbrier, went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and walked once Tuesday. Wallace is 7 for 13 during the Razorbacks’ win streak.
Hitting leadoff in place of Moore, Webb reached base in all six plate appearances Tuesday. He walked four times and was hit by a pitch.
Webb’s home run raised his batting average to .094 following a 1 for 27 start to the season. He raised his on-base percentage by 95 points to .370 Tuesday.
Arkansas starter Caleb Bolden allowed the Tigers’ only run in the fifth on a two-out RBI hit by Memphis second baseman Braden Webb to score Taylor Howell. Reliever Ryan Costeiu allowed the RBI hit on his second pitch in relief of Bolden, who was taken out of the game after 4 2/3 innings.
Bolden was sharp for his first four innings. The only hit he allowed was a two-out triple to Goodman in the first inning. Alec Trela flied out to left field to strand Goodman.
Bolden hit a batter with one out in the second inning, but Austin Baskin hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Bolden retired the side in nine pitches in the third inning and in six pitches in the fourth.
Bolden walked Howell to lead off the fifth, and Howell advanced to third base on a wild pitch and a groundout. After getting ahead with a 1-2 count, Bolden walked Zach Wilson with two outs to prompt a pitching change.
Memphis (9-9) brought the tying run to the plate after Braden Webb’s single in the fifth, but Costeiu struck out Jaylen Wilbon to strand two base runners.
Costeiu, Elijah Trest and Peyton Pallette combined to retire eight consecutive batters before Braden Webb singled with one out in the eighth. Arkansas’ Zack Morris retired all three hitters he faced in the ninth.
The Razorbacks’ bullpen allowed two hits and did not walk a batter in 4 1/3 innings. Arkansas pitching recorded 10 strikeouts, led by Bolden and Costeiu with three apiece.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story had Braydon Webb's batting average incorrect. It has been corrected.
EARLIER
Arkansas 14, Memphis 1 - Final
Zack Morris in to pitch for the Hogs.
Pallette - 1.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 1K, 19 pitches.
Goodman skies one to deep center, but Franklin is underneath it for the first out.
Slavens floats backward at first base to catch a soft pop up in the air for the second out.
Morris gets Howell to strike out swinging to end the game.
Arkansas 14, Memphis 1 - End 8th inning
Wow did Braydon Webb need this game today. He's walked three times, been hit by a pitch, and now he blasts one over the permanent seats beyond the Razorback bullpen in left field.
Franklin had a really awkward swing. He ends up lining out to the pitcher, but you just hope he's ok.
Welch singles to center to give the Hogs a base runner. Gregory is coming in to run for him and Muse's day is done.
Brayden Green in to pitch for Memphis
Muse - 3.2IP, 5H, 2R, 2 ER, 1Bb, 1K, 66 pitches.
Cayden Wallace gets all of breaking ball and hits it deep into the Hog pen for a two-run homerun.
Slavens keeps the hit parade going with a single up the middle.
Leach Walks and Ethan Bates comes in to hit for Battles.
Bates hits the catcher's mitt and reaches first.
The bases are loaded for Jacob Nesbit.
Nesbit comes through, just sneaking one over the left field fence, to give the Hogs a 12-1 lead.
Hogs have three home runs this inning.
Zac White strikes out swinging on a ball that he tried to check his swing. It looked like he held up, but when you're winning 12-1 in the 8th the benefit of the doubt is going to go to the team in the field.
Braydon Webb, who had two hits all season coming into today, walks and reaches base for the sixth time today.
Franklin hits a ball into the bermuda triangle down the right field line. The high pop up lets Webb, who was running on contact, score from first. Franklin slides into second with a double.
Gregory, who came in to pinch run for Welch, one hops the fence in right field. Franklin comes around to score. Gregory with a 2-out double.
Wallace works a full count walk and the Hogs have runners on first and second.
Slavens flies out to right to end the inning.
Arkansas 5, Memphis 1 - Middle 8th inning
Peyton Pallette will make his first appearance out of the bullpen for the Hogs this year.
Trest - 1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K, 19 pitches
Pallette gets the first batter to groundout to Wallace.
Webb, the next batter, singles through the middle on a hanging breaking ball.
Wilbon strikes out swinging and Brooks hits a ball to the warning track in right to end the inning.
Arkansas 5, Memphis 1 - End 7th inning
Welch lines out to left to start the inning.
Wallace singles, then he is forced out at second on a ground ball by Slavens.
Leach hit one just out of the reach of the shortstop for a single. Wallace advanced to third.
Jalen Battles is hit by a pitch and the bases are loaded for Jacob Nesbit.
Nesbit grounds out to the third baseman, but upon review they call him safe and Arkansas scores a run. That was about the closest call that has been overturned that I have seen. It was bang-bang at first.
White flies out to left to end the inning.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 1 - Middle 7th inning
Trest's fastball is really making Memphis batters uncomfortable. He's struck out the first two batters of the inning with high fastballs.
Baskin ends the inning with an easy groundout to third.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 1 - End 6th inning
Nesbit leads off the inning and flied out to right.
White grounds out to shortstop for the second out.
Webb works a walk, he still doesn't have an official at-bat, but Franklin strikes out looking to end the inning.
Elijah Trest in to pitch for the Hogs.
Costeiu - 1.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 3K, 18 pitches
Arkansas 4, Memphis 1 - Middle 6th inning
Costeiu gets Memphis to go in order.
Brooks popped up to Battles to start the inning. Goodman and Tela strike out to end the inning.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 1 - End 5th inning
Arkansas goes in order in the fifth. They hit two balls really hard, but Memphis made two really good plays to keep the Hogs off the base paths.
Costeiu back out to pitch the 6th.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 1 - Middle 5th inning
Bolden has lost some control in this inning. He walked the first batter of the inning on four pitches.
Howell, the runner on first, advances to second on a wild pitch.
He gets the next batter to strike out swinging on a 3-2 pitch.
Baskin grounds out to Battles on a big hop for the second out, but Howell advances to third.
Wilson walks after taking two close pitches and Bolden's day is done.
Ryan Costeiu in to pitch for Arkansas.
Bolden - 4.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0Er, 3BB, 3K, 58 pitches. Both runners are his responsibility.
Webb singles and Memphis scores a run. The leadoff walk comes back to hurt the Hogs. Battles got a glove on the single, but he couldn't field it cleanly and the runner reached.
Costeiu gets the next batter to strikeout to end the inning.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 0 - End 4th inning
White starts off the inning with a pop up to first.
Webb works a 5-pitch walk. He's officially 0-0 with two walks and a hit by pitch.
Webb steals second on a ball in the dirt. He was caught in no man's land between first and second, the catcher threw behind the runner and Webb took off to second and beat the relay over to second.
Franklin flies out to center and Webb advances to third.
Leach keeps the bat on his shoulder and walks on four pitches.
Kendrick's day is done.
James Muse, a right hander, in to pitch for the Tigers.
Kendrick - 3.2IP, 3H, 4R, 4ER, 6BB 3K, 84 pitches.
Muse comes in and does his job. Wallace flies out to center to end the inning. The center fielder had some trouble finding the ball, but he eventually tracked it down.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 0 - Middle 4th inning
Bolden with a super efficient 5 pitch inning to get his team back in the dugout. He got a pop out to right, a pop out to third and then a groundout to third end the inning.
All of Bolden's pitches were strikes.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 0 - End 3rd inning
Slavens strikes out to start the inning.
Leach works a full count walk to give the Razorbacks a base runner.
Battles flies out to center and Nesbit flies out to left just short of the track to end the inning.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 0 - Middle 3rd inning
Battles makes a really nice play down the left field line. He tracked a pop fly off the bat all the way down the line in left field.
Bolden then gets a strikeout and a fly out to left to end the inning.
Arkansas 4, Memphis 0 - End 2nd inning
Leach starts of the inning working a 5-pitch walk.
Battles follows with a 3-pitch strikeout, chasing an offspeed in the dirt for the first out.
Nesbit pops up to the second baseman in the outfield for the second out.
Zac White gets hit by a pitch to give the Hogs two runners on with two outs. That ball hit right off his backside.
Webb walks on a 3-1 count to load the bases.
Kendrick walks Franklin, his fifth free pass and third walk to give the Hogs a 2-0 lead.
The first hit of the inning comes from Welch and it scores two. Welch floats a ball into left field and allows Webb and White to score.
Wallace thinks he takes ball four, but instead he takes strike three. The ball was down and in, but it was definitely close.
Arkansas 1, Memphis 0 - Middle 2nd inning
Bolden gets a groundout to Battles at short for the first out.
Bibiloni is hit by a pitch after Bolden was ahead in the count, but Bolden works out of it getting a ground ball that starts a 6-4-3 double play.
Arkansas 1, Memphis 0 - End 1st inning
Arkansas gets the first two batters of the inning on with a hit by pitch and a seeing eye single through the left side of the infield. Welch comes up next and grounds out to Kendrick on the mound. Kendrick went to third for the first out and they rolled the double play as they got Welch out at third.
Wallace comes up big for the Hogs with a single up the middle and scores Franklin from second.
Slavens grounds out to second to end the inning, but the Hogs strike first tonight.
Arkansas 0, Memphis 0 - Middle 1st inning
Bolden walks the first batter of the inning, but he is erased on a strike them out, throw them out. Leach put the throw right on the bag at second base, and Nesbit made a good tag.
Goodman tripled to center field, but Bolden gets the next batter to fly out to end the inning.
Lineups
Memphis
RF Jaylen Wilbon
SS Ben Brooks
C Hunter Goodman
3B Alec Trela
1B Taylor Howell
LF Ian Bibiloni
DH Austin Baskin
CF Zach Wilson
2B Braden Webb
P Dalton Kendrick - 0-0, 14.29 ERA, 8BB, 7K, 5.2IP
Arkansas
LF Braydon Webb
CF Christian Franklin
DH Charlie Welch
3B Cayden Wallace
1B Brady Slavens
c Dylan Leach
SS Jalen Battles
2b Jacob Nesbit
RF Zac White
P Caleb Bolden - 0-0, 5.14 ERA, 4BB, 10K, 7 IP
Pregame
Arkansas is scheduled to play two midweek games for the first time this season. The teams are also scheduled to play Wednesday at 3 p.m….Memphis won three of four games over Middle Tennessee State last weekend. All three of the Tigers’ victories were by one run….The Memphis series is the last of a six-game homestand for Arkansas.
The Razorbacks have won six consecutive games in the series against Memphis. Arkansas has a 9-1 record in the series under Dave Van Horn.
Arkansas catcher Casey Opitz was named SEC co-player of the week and leads the Razorbacks with a .364 batting average. Opitz has a hit in 14 of 15 games this season.
Memphis is also led in hitting by its catcher, Hunter Goodman, who has a .344 average. Goodman, a preseason All-American, has hit 6 home runs, has 13 RBI and is projected to be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft later this year