FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It wasn’t pretty from the opening pitch, but the No. 24 Arkansas Razorbacks got the job done on Wednesday afternoon.
The Hogs knocked off the Northwestern State Demons 5-2 at Baum-Walker Stadium in front of 9,277 fans to wrap up their midweek non-conference schedule for the 2026 season.
With the win, Arkansas improves to 30-16 overall and 11-10 in SEC play.
It was Bark in the Park day at Baum-Walker and plenty of fans brought their dogs along to enjoy the spring weather. It briefly gave way to early tension, though, as things didn’t start the way the Razorbacks wanted.
Northwestern State designated hitter Ethan Menard put the Demons on top in the first inning with a two-run home run to left field.
Starting pitcher Tate McGuire surrendered three hits in the opening frame and one more in the second before coach Dave Van Horn turned to the bullpen. Arkansas was chasing from behind in what was supposed to be a tuneup game before an important weekend series.
Colin Fisher stepped in and changed the game’s entire feel.
The right-hander tossed four innings of two-hit baseball on just 55 pitches, giving the Hogs a chance to chip away at the deficit.
It was the second straight dominant midweek outing for Fisher, who’d been pulled early during a weekend start at Missouri.
On Wednesday, he was locked in and efficient, retiring Northwestern State hitters with ease and keeping the Demons’ offense quiet while Arkansas’ bats slowly woke up.
The Razorbacks got on the board in the second inning when Kuhio Aloy scored to cut the lead to 2-1.
That run came on a sacrifice fly from a fly ball to center as Aloy tagged from third.
It was a small spark, but the game stayed tight through the middle innings as the Hogs continued to strand runners.
Arkansas left 12 men on base for the afternoon, a persistent issue that kept the game closer than the Razorbacks would’ve liked.
Freshman Carter Rutenbar was one of the brightest spots in the lineup. He finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and played a central role in getting Arkansas back on level ground.
His single to left field in the fourth inning scored Aloy to tie the game at 2-2, providing the momentum shift the Razorbacks needed heading into the second half of the contest.
Bullpen takes over, offense breaks through late
After Fisher’s four innings of work, Steele Eaves took the ball in the seventh and retired the Demons in order.
Eaves earned his fifth win of the season with the performance. Parker Coil followed with a clean eighth inning of his own and Ethan McElvain closed things out in the ninth to record his fifth save of the year.
In total, the three relievers combined to allow just one baserunner over the game’s final three frames.
The offense did enough to make those clean innings count.
In the seventh, Camden Kozeal scored what proved to be the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Maika Niu, giving Arkansas a 3-2 lead. One batter later, Aloy singled through the left side to score Damian Ruiz and push the advantage to 4-2.
Then in the eighth inning, Ryder Helfrick delivered a single to left field that scored TJ Pompey to set the final score at 5-2.
Kozeal and Aloy each had two hits in the game to go along with Rutenbar’s productive afternoon.
Eight different Razorbacks recorded at least one hit as Arkansas finished with 11 on the day, a solid output even if the team couldn’t convert more of their opportunities into runs.
Northwestern State falls to 25-20 overall and 16-11 in the Southland Conference.
The Demons came into Fayetteville playing competitive baseball and made things uncomfortable early, but the Razorbacks’ pitching staff was simply too much over the final six innings.
Arkansas will now turn its attention to a seven-game homestand that continues Friday when Ole Miss comes to Baum-Walker.
Junior left-hander Hunter Dietz is the probable starter for the Hogs against senior left-hander Hunter Elliott of the Rebels.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and it’ll air on SEC Network+.
