Baseball
Diamond Hogs drop 2022 opener to Illinois State
The Razorbacks hit two solo home runs on Opening Day, but it wasn’t enough to outlast the Illinois State Redbirds.
The Razorback baseball team struggled to find offense Friday, falling 3-2 in its season opener against the Illinois State Redbirds.
Senior right-handed pitcher Connor Noland earned the starting nod from head coach Dave Van Horn, working five innings of two-run ball. Both runs came in the first inning, when he allowed an RBI single to Illinois State first baseman Jake McCaw and balked with the bases loaded.
Arkansas threatened to score in the second inning, but Redbird pitcher Colin Wyman forced junior center fielder Zack Gregory to fly out with the bases loaded and two out.
The Razorbacks’ next hit did not come until the fifth inning, when senior shortstop Jalen Battles led off with a 432-foot home run into the Hog Pen. Two batters later, Gregory hit an opposite-field homer to tie the game at 2-2 and take Noland off the hook for the loss.
Noland allowed five hits, two walks and two runs — both earned — and struck out five hitters before handing the ball to senior righty Kole Ramage, who retired the first five hitters he faced on 10 pitches. Illinois State leadoff hitter Kyle Soberano lined a two-out single into center field, and left fielder Aidan Huggins drove a double into the left field corner to put the Redbirds back on top in the seventh inning.
Arkansas designated hitter Chris Lanzilli led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single, but Illinois State pitchers took care of the next nine Razorback hitters, sealing the victory for the Redbirds.
All four Razorback hits came from the bottom half of the order. The first five hitters combined to go 0-17, and the Hogs were 0-5 with runners in scoring position.
Game two of the series is set for noon Saturday. Freshman left-hander Hagen Smith will get the start, opposite Illinois State lefty Sean Sinisko, and the game will stream on the SEC Network+.
