FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks have a chance to clinch the Arkansas vs Murray State series Saturday afternoon.
They are in position to do that after taking the opener by a 5-1 score Friday afternoon, a game in which Hagen Smith was sensational once again. First pitch of Game 2 against the Racers is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and will be streamed online on SEC Network-Plus.
Right-hander Brady Tygart will take the mound for his third start of the season. He’ll be trying to continue a great start, as he’s allowed only one run in 11 innings so far.
As always, Best of Arkansas Sports is at the ballpark. Follow along below for inning-by-inning updates and stats from Saturday’s game…
(READ NEXT: Check out our in-depth recap of Game 1 of the Arkansas vs Murray State series)
LIVE UPDATES – Arkansas vs Murray State (Game 2)
Pregame Tidbits
Dave Van Horn has once again made significant changes to his starting lineup. Will Edmunson is starting in center over Ty Wilmsmeyer and Nolan Souza is at second base over Peyton Holt. Ross Lovich got the nod at DH, with Ryder Helfrick behind the plate at catcher. It’s also worth noting that Wehiwa Aloy is back up in the 3-hole.
T-1st: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Tygart does what Smith couldn’t: strike out Vogel to start the game. 1 out.
- Mercer looks at strike three. It was a 93 mph heater at the bottom of the zone. 2 outs.
- In a full scount, Hogart whiffs at a curveball. That’s three strikeouts by Tygart, who needed 16 pitches to do it.
B-1st: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Edmunson opened the home half of the first with a four-pitch walk.
- Edmunson tried to steal second, but he was thrown out. 1 out.
- The caught stealing hurts because Diggs ended up walking, too. That prompted a mound visit by Murray State.
- Aloy looked like he might have his first home run, as he crushed a fly ball to left with an exit velocity 105 mph, but it got caught in the wind and was caught on the warning track. 2 outs.
- McLaughlin grounded out weakly to first to end the inning. Valero threw 18 pitches.
T-2nd: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Hawthorne goes down swinging for a three-pitch strikeout. 1 out.
- Garner actually put it in play, but it was a grounder to third. Sprague-Lott had to make a long throw and McLaughlin did a nice job of scooping it. 2 outs.
- Howell chases a pitch in the dirt for strike three. Tygart has thrown 26 pitches to go six up, six down.
B-2nd: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Sprague-Lott grounded out to short to start the inning. 1 out.
- Lovich went down swinging. 2 outs.
- Jones poked a grounder the other way, but it’s a ground out to second. That was a 12-pitch inning for Valero, who’s up to 30.
T-3rd: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Tauken goes down swinging. It’s Tygart’s sixth strikeout. 1 out.
- Krizen looks at strike three. 2 outs.
- Bland made solid contact, but it was a fly out to center. That was a 1-2-3 inning for Tygart, who is up to 36 pitches through three innings.
B-3rd: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Souza drew a walk to start the third inning.
- Souza swiped second easily during Helfrick’s at bat.
- Helfrick popped out in the infield, caught by the first baseman. 1 out.
- In a 2-2 count, Edmunson hit a line drive into center, but Souza held up because he wasn’t sure if it’d be caught. That forced him to stop at third, putting runners on the corners.
- Diggs went down swinging. 2 outs.
- Aloy hit a grounder up the middle, but Murray State was positioned perfectly. The second baseman fielded it while almost standing on the second base bag. The Hogs strand runners on the corners. Valero is up to 53 pitches.
T-4th: Arkansas 0, Murray State 0
- Vogel looked like he had a leadoff HBP, but the umpire immediately called a strike and said he stuck his arm out. Because it was a 1-2 count, it’s a strikeout. However, Murray State’s coach protested and the umpires eventually opted to review it. After watching the replay, the call was confirmed. 1 out.
- Mercer flied out to left. 2 outs.
- Hogart ended the no-hit and perfect game bid with a line drive single to left. He went down and got a pitch at the bottom of the zone. Good pitch and good swing.
- Hawthorne hit a little chopper back to Tygart, who fielded it cleanly and calmly tossed to first for the out. He’s up to 51 pitches through four innings.
B-4th: Arkansas 4, Murray State 0
- McLaughlin walked on four pitches to start the fourth.
- After a pickoff attempt, Murray State makes a pitching change. It turns to right-hander Jacob Pennington, its ace who it kept in the bullpen for a situation like this.
- Sprague-Lott laid down a perfect bunt and Murray State couldn’t make a play. It’s a bunt single.
- Lovich was HBP to load the bases.
- Jones walked on five pitches to bring in the game’s first run.
- The freshman delivers! Souza singled up the middle to bring in two runs. Jones went first to third on the play. There are runners on the corners.
- Helfrick grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, but a run scored. He doesn’t get an RBI, though.
- Edmunson went down swinging to end the inning.
T-5th: Arkansas 4, Murray State 1
- Garner led off the fifth with a home run into the Hog Pen, breaking up the shutout.
- Tygart bounced back by striking out Howell. 1 out.
- Tauken also went down swinging. 2 outs.
- A two-out single by Krizen extended the inning.
- Bland walked on four pitches and Tygart is in his first real trouble of the game.
- He got out of it, though, as Vogel grounded out to short to end the inning. That was a 25-pitch inning and he’s up to 76 in the game.
B-5th: Arkansas 9, Murray State 1
- Diggs led off the fifth with a home run of his own. It was 104 mph off the bat and at a 29.2 degree angle, resulting in a 340-foot bomb off the Hunt center.
- Aloy followed with a high fly ball to shallow center. It looked like the center fielder would be able to run in and make the catch, but the ball popped out of his glove. The error put Aloy on second.
- McLaughlin hit a blooper to right-center that found grass for a single, but Aloy had to hold up at third.
- It looked like Sprague-Lott might have an RBI single up the middle, but once again, the second baseman was positioned perfectly and snagged the line drive. 1 out.
- Instead, Lovich ripped a line drive that the first baseman got a glove on, but it went into right field for an RBI double. That also put runners on second and third.
- Jones followed with another blooper to center for an RBI. McLaughlin scored, but Lovich had to hold up at third. There are runners on the corners.
- That’s it for Pennington. The new pitcher is left-hander Jordyn Naranjo.
- Hudson Polk pinch hit for Souza and hit a fly ball to center. It wasn’t super deep and the center fielder made a good throw to the plate, but the catcher couldn’t handle it and Lovich slid in safely to make it a sacrifice fly.
- In a full count, Helfrick took ball four for a walk.
- In another full count, Edmunson singled through the left side for an RBI. That prompted a mound visit by Murray State.
- In yet another full count, Diggs took a pitch that could have been strike three, but was called a ball. That loads the bases and is it for Naranjo.
- The new pitcher for Murray State is right-hander Jacob Hustedde.
- Aloy hit a slow roller to short that looked like it might be an infield single, but Vogel made a tremendous play by barehanding it and throwing to first for the out to end the inning.
T-6th: Arkansas 9, Murray State 1
- Right-hander Will McEntire takes over in the sixth.
- Brady Tygart’s final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 10 K, 76 pitches (51 strikes)
- Mercer flied out to right on McEntire’s first pitch of the game. 1 out.
- Hogart struck out on three pitches, going down swinging. 2 outs.
- Hawthorne lined out to right on the second pitch he saw, making it a vintage six-pitch inning for McEntire.
B-6th: Arkansas 9, Murray State 1
- McLaughlin flied out to left to start the sixth. 1 out.
- Sprague-Lott reached on a walk.
- Lovich looked at strike three. 2 outs.
- Jones flied out to right to end the inning.
T-7th: Arkansas 9, Murray State 1
- It looked like McEntire had an easy first out, but Aloy dropped the high pop up by Garner in the infield, behind second base. He reached on the E6.
- The base runner was promptly erased, as Howell grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. 2 outs.
- Tauken went down swinging to end the inning. That was a 10-pitch inning for McEntire, who has now thrown 16 pitches.
B-7th: Arkansas 9, Murray State 1
- Right-hander Kane Elmy is now pitching for Murray State.
- Peyton Holt, who entered the game at second base after Polk pinch hit for Souza, hit a fly ball to center, but it was easily caught. 1 out.
- Helfrick grounded out to short. 2 outs.
- Edmunson popped out to first to end the inning. That was a five-pitch inning for Elmy.
T-8th: Arkansas 9, Murray State 1
- Right-hander Cooper Dossett is now pitching for Arkansas.
- David Stokely, who entered as a defensive replacement at catcher in the sixth inning, looked at strike three. 1 out.
- Bland grounded out to second. 2 outs.
- Vogel went down swinging. That was a quick 10-pitch inning for Dossett.
B-8th: Arkansas 11, Murray State 1
- Murray State is now pitching right-hander Malik Pogue.
- Diggs went down swinging. 1 out.
- Aloy hit a grounder up the middle that would have been a hit except it was right into the shift yet again. It’s a ground out to second. 2 outs.
- McLaughlin bunted to beat the shift, but the pitcher was able to field it. His throw was wild, though. It’s ruled a single and an E1 that moved him to second.
- A failed pickoff attempt went off a fielder’s glove an into right field. The E1 moves McLaughlin to first.
- Sprague-Lott beat the shift with a single through the big hole on the right side for an RBI.
- Lovich followed with a single to right-center and Sprague-Lott scored from first to end the game.
FINAL – Arkansas 11, Murray State 1 (8 inn.)
Starting Lineups
| Murray State Baseball | Arkansas Baseball |
|---|---|
| 1. Drew Vogel – SS | 1. Will Edmunson – CF |
| 2. Dustin Mercer – CF | 2. Kendall Diggs – RF |
| 3. Jonathan Hogart – RF | 3. Wehiwa Aloy – SS |
| 4. Riley Hawthorne – LF | 4. Ben McLaughlin – 1B |
| 5. Carson Garner – 3B | 5. Jared Sprague-Lott – 3B |
| 6. Taylor Howell – 1B | 6. Ross Lovich – DH |
| 7. Dan Tauken – DH | 7. Jayson Jones – LF |
| 8. Ethan Krizen – C | 8. Nolan Souza – 2B |
| 9. Logan Bland – 2B | 9. Ryder Helfrick – C |
| Pitching: RHP Bryce Valero | Pitching: RHP Brady Tygart |
How to Watch Arkansas vs Murray State (Game 2)
Date: Saturday, March 2
First Pitch: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Baum-Walker Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
TV/Stream: SEC Network-Plus
Arkansas Baseball in the Polls
- Baseball America: No. 3 (no change)
- D1Baseball: No. 2 (no change)
- NCBWA: No. 5 (no change)
- Perfect Game: No. 2 (no change)
- USA Today Coaches Poll: No. 5 (down 1 spot*)
*The USA Today Coaches Poll didn’t come out last week, so this movement is from the preseason poll to now.
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