FAYETTEVILLE — Little Rock defeated Arkansas, 17-7, Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
It’s Arkansas’ second midweek loss of the season and the first time its suffered back-to-back losses.
Although four different Razorbacks recorded multi-hit games, the offense didn’t manage more than seven hits for the final six innings and leaving the bases loaded in the fifth. Arkansas left 14 runners on base in the game, tying a season-high (Western Illinois – March 13).
Trevor Ezell led all Razorbacks with a 3-for-5 game after batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season. It was his first three-hit game since Feb. 27 against Memphis and ninth multi-hit game of the year.
Heston Kjerstad, Matt Goodheart and Jack Kenley also had two hits each. Kenley drove in three of Arkansas’ runs including a solo home run in the eighth inning, his sixth of the year which ties for the team lead with Casey Martin.
Freshman starting pitcher Patrick Wicklander looked good through the first two innings, allowing just one hit and two baserunners. However, in the third inning, the Razorbacks suffered their first of a season-high four errors after Christian Franklin dropped a pop fly in shallow left field that led to three unearned runs.
Wicklander had racked up five strikeouts before the third inning. It was his second-straight start with five as he finished the game with 3.1 innings pitched with three hits allowed and all three runs coming unearned.
Arkansas got an early 2-0 lead in the second inning after a two-RBI double by Martin, his only hit of the game. But, Little Rock responded with a three-run third inning, two coming off the bat of Nick Perez, who doubled home the second and third runs for the Trojans, giving them their first lead of the game.
It looked like the game was going to be a back-and-forth slugfest when Arkansas scored four more times in the bottom of the third to take a 6-3 lead.
Three of the four runs came off singles by Goodheart and Jack Kenley. Goodheart finished the game 2-for-5, his seventh multi-hit performance in his last 12 games.
Little Rock responded a second time in the fifth inning when Troy Alexander hit a grand slam off Kole Ramage to take a 7-6 lead.
It was the last lead change of the game.
The Hogs got the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom half of the fifth, but were unable to punch in any runs.
Up next
Arkansas hits the road for its first Thursday-Saturday series in conference play when it travels to 10th-ranked Auburn at Plainsman Park.
Game one is set for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU, while game two will be at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.
The series finale will have first pitch at 2 p.m. and be broadcast on SEC Network+ as well.
