Hogs’ Tygart, strong relief pitching dominates Racers with big hitting

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Brady Tygart’s career-high 10 strikeouts, and Kendall Diggs’ first home run of the season powered No. 2 Arkansas (8-2) to a 11-1 run-rule win against Murray State (6-4) on Saturday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

With Saturday’s win, the Razorbacks clinched their 29th consecutive non-conference home weekend series. Arkansas has not lost or tied a non-conference regular season weekend series at Baum-Walker Stadium since dropping two-of-three games against South Alabama in 2014.

For the second consecutive game, an Arkansas pitcher racked up double-digit strikeouts on the mound, as Tygart finished with 10 strikeouts over five innings of one-run ball while allowing just three hits and one walk on 76 pitches (51 pitches). Over the last seven games, Razorback starting pitchers have allowed only two runs (both earned) on 13 hits and seven walks while combining for a jaw-dropping 0.26 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 34.0 innings of work.

Tygart fired four scoreless on the mound before the Arkansas offense shined in the bottom of the fourth. Jayson Jones’ bases-loaded walk, Nolan Souza’s two-RBI single and Ryder Helfrick’s run-scoring double play put the Hogs up, 4-0.

Murray State broke through against Tygart with a leadoff home run in the top half of the fifth, but that was all the Racers would get. The Razorback right-hander collected his ninth and 10th strikeouts of the ballgame before inducing an inning-ending groundout to complete his strong five innings of work on the mound.

Ahead 4-1 in the fifth, Arkansas tacked on five more runs in the bottom half of the frame to blow the game wide open. Diggs’ leadoff home run, his first of the year, jumpstarted the Razorbacks’ big inning, which included Ross Lovich’s RBI double, Jared Sprague-Lott’s RBI single, Hudson Polk’s run-scoring sacrifice fly and Will Edmunson’s RBI single.

Right-handers Will McEntire and Cooper Dossett worked the final three innings after Tygart’s departure, combining for four strikeouts in relief. McEntire twirled two scoreless with a pair of punchouts on 16 pitches (12 strikes), while Dossett followed him with a shutout frame and two strikeouts on 10 pitches (seven strikes).

With the 10-run rule in effect, the Razorbacks closed out the game in the bottom of the eighth. Sprague-Lott’s two-out RBI single set the table for Lovich’s game-winning RBI double to right center, as Arkansas walked off Murray State, 11-1.

Four Hog batters finished the game with multiple hits, including Will Edmunson (2-for-4), Ben McLaughlin (2-for-4), Sprague-Lott (2-for-4) and Lovich (2-for-4). Lovich, Jones and Souza each contributed two RBI in the Razorbacks’ win.

Arkansas goes for its first series sweep of the season in tomorrow’s finale against Murray State. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, March 3, on SEC Network+, with left-hander Mason Molina set to toe the rubber for the Hogs.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.