Razorbacks tie for third place at Oklahoma Quad meet

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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NORMAN, Okla. — Tenth-ranked Arkansas tied for third at the OU Quad Friday night inside the Lloyd Noble Center, recording a 195.700.

The Razorbacks fell back after the second rotation, but tallied scores of 49.050 in each of the final two rotations to make up ground, and tie Arizona State for third place.

Team Scores: 
1. No. 1 Oklahoma- 198.100
2. No. 15 Denver- 196.525
T-3. No. 10 Arkansas- 195.700
T-3. No. 12 Arizona State- 195.700

First Rotation: Arkansas Bars: 49.175
Arkansas tallied four scores over 9.800 in the first rotation. Freshman Sarah Shaffer posted a 9.825 in the two spot, her ninth-straight meet with a 9.800 or higher on bars. Senior Braie Speed followed her career high 9.950 against Arizona last week with a 9.900 to lead the Razorbacks. It’s her third meet in a row with a 9.900 or higher on the event. Fellow senior Amanda Wellick posted a 9.800 while sophomore Hailey Garner recorded a 9.875 in the six spot.

Second Rotation: Arkansas Beam: 48.425
After a 9.875 to start the rotation from sophomore Jessica Yamzon, the Razorbacks were forced to count a fall on the beam, but rebounded with two big scores in the final two spots. Garner posted a career high 9.925, while sophomore Michaela Burton posted a 9.850 as the anchor.

Third Rotation: Arkansas Floor: 49.050
A pair of freshmen anchors recorded Arkansas’ highest scores on the floor as Sarah Shaffer and Sophia Carter recorded scores of 9.875 each. Shaffer has tallied a 9.875 or higher in eight of the last nine meets, including five scores over 9.900. Yamzon scored a 9.800 to round out the Razorbacks’ best as she has tallied a 9.800 or higher in all but two meets this season.

Final Rotation: Arkansas Vault: 49.050
Speed again led the Razorbacks with a 9.900 in the final rotation. Speed has not scored below a 9.850 on vault all season as she notched her second score of 9.900 of the day. Arkansas’ first four competitors in the rotation all recorded over a 9.800, including a 9.875 from Shaffer to tie her career high. Wellick tallied a 9.825 while Yamzon posted a 9.800 to round out Arkansas’ best on the event.

Yamzon recorded a 39.200 while Garner posted a 39.175 in the all-around, to set a new career high.

Arkansas returns to the Barnhill Arena for the final time this season next Friday for a rematch against Denver and a matchup against Iowa State. The Razorbacks will honor seniors Braie Speed and Mia Bargiacchi, as well as student-assistant coach Leah MacMoyle.  The meet is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m.

Moore paces Hogs on first day at NCAA Indoor

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Day one of the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships saw No. 4 Arkansas open strong with South Plains transfer Gabe Moore posting a record first day in the heptathlon Friday afternoon in College Station.

Moore kickstarted the day in phenomenal fashion for the Hogs, scoring the best first-day heptathlon total of his career with 3,343 points. Moore began the event with a personal record in his first three events, racing to 6.94 in the 60, marking 7.33m/24-0 3/4 in the long jump and heaving the shot put out 14.38m/47-2 1/4. He capped the day in fifth position overall after a solid clearance of 1.99m/6-6 1/4 in the high jump.

NCAA Finalists

  • Kenzo Cotton – 200 meters (20.63) Top runner in heat one; had the fifth-fastest time of the day.

Saturday Scoring Opportunities
Arkansas’ first opportunity to pick up points on Saturday will come from Gabe Moore in the heptathlon, beginning at 12 p.m. with the 60-meter hurdles. The Razorbacks will also have chances to score with Kenzo Cotton in the 200, Cameron Griffith in the 3,000 and will close out the meet with the 4-x-400-meter relay. The two-day event will be live streamed on ESPN3 with Saturday’s stream beginning at 4 p.m.

NCAA Indoor Championships
Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium
March 9, 2018

60 Meters Semifinal
10. Kenzo Cotton – 6.66

200 Meters Semifinal
5. Kenzo Cotton – 20.63

400 Meters Semifinal
14. Obi Igbokwe – 46.67
Rhayko Schwartz – DNF

5,000 Meters Final
12. Jack Bruce – 14:18

Long Jump
11. Laquan Nairn – 7.52m/24-8 1/4

Heptathlon (4 of 7)
5. Gabe Moore – 3,343 pts.
(3) 60 Meters – 6.94, 904 pts.
(3) Long Jump – 7.33m/24-0 3/4, 893 pts.
(4) Shot Put – 14.38m/47-2 1/4, 752 pts.
(5) High Jump – 1.99m/6-6 1/4, 794 pts.

Arkansas men fall on road at Kentucky to start weekend

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Arkansas fell to 8-6 on the year and 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play Friday night, falling to Kentucky 5-2 on the road.

Kentucky took the doubles point to start the match, as Jose Salazar and Josh Howard-Tripp fell 6-1 on court 1, while Oscar Mesquida and Adam Sanjurjo lost 6-0 on court two. At the clinch, Alex Reco and Pedro Alonso were tied 2-2 on court three.

To start off singles, Mesquida fell quickly to Enzo Wallart 6-2, 6-0 to put Arkansas in the hole, 0-2. The Razorbacks were able to get a point back, getting on the board with a win on court four by Reco, who defeated Trey Yates in a battle, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5. Reco improves to 8-2 this spring, including a 1-0 mark on court four. Overall this season, Reco is 11-7 and 2-1 against SEC competition.

Kentucky would run away with the match, picking up wins on courts one, two, five and six to close things out. No. 84 Salazar fell to No. 43 Ryotaro Matsumura 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead, before they would clinch it with a win on two by Will Bushamuka, who defeated Howard-Tripp 7-6, 5-7, 4-6.

Alonso would fall 6-3, 6-4 to Austin Hussey to give the Cats a 5-1 lead, before his brother Jose, would pick up Arkansas’ second point of the match, defeating Jake Stefanik 6-4, 7-5.

Arkansas returns to action Sunday in Nashville, as the Razorbacks take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at 12 p.m.

Kentucky 5, Arkansas 2

Singles Results – Order of finish (3,4,1,2,5,6)
1. #43 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. #84 Jose Salazar (AR) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. Will Bushamuka (UK) def. Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-4
3. Enzo Wallart (UK) def. Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-2, 6-0
4. Alex Reco (AR) def. Trey Yates (UK) 7-5, 5-7, 7-5
5. Austin Hussey (UK) def. Pedro Alonso (AR) 6-3, 6-4
6. Jose Alonso (AR) def. Jake Stefanik (UK) 6-4, 7-5

 Doubles Results – Order of finish (1,2)
1. Cesar Bourgois/Gus Benson (UK) def. Jose Salazar/Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) 6-1
2. Enzo Wallart/Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. Oscar Mesquida/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-0
3. Austin Hussey/Will Bushamuka (UK) vs. Alex Reco/Pedro Alonso (AR) 2-2, unfinished

Razorbacks start weekend with loss to No. 17 Kentucky

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — No. 17 Kentucky defeated No. 32 Arkansas 4-1 on Friday night at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.

The Wildcats (10-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) took a competitive doubles point and went on to win three of four finished singles matches.

After Kentucky struck first with a 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles, the Razorbacks’ (5-6, 1-1 SEC) duo of sophomore Giulia Pairone and senior Mia Jurasic returned the favor with a 6-4 victory at No. 2. The score at the top spot was tied 5-5, but the Wildcats’ No. 40 pair of Mami Adachi and Emily Fanning rallied to pick of the next two games and secure the opening point against Arkansas’ No. 30 junior Ana Oparenovic and freshman Tatum Rice. It was Oparenovic and Rices’ first setback of the spring, placing their record at 9-1.

In singles, junior Agne Cepelyte was first off the court, besting her opponent 6-3, 6-2. Kentucky won the next three matches at the No. 4, 2, and 5 positions for the overall team victory.

At the clinch, No. 66 Pairone was about to begin a third set after turning in a 6-0 win in the second set. Jurasic was battling in a third set at No. 3.

Up Next
Arkansas will host No. 4 Vanderbilt at noon CT Sunday. Admission is free. Pizza, Keurig products, popcorn and Pepsi soft drinks will be provided for fans in attendance. Fans can also follow the match via live scoring at RazorbackStats.com.

Knight’s win lets Hogs split with Flashes before loss

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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FAYETTEVILLE — A fourth-straight strong start by junior pitcher Blaine Knight along with three home runs helped fifth-ranked Arkansas jump on top of Kent State in game one of a doubleheader Friday at Baum Stadium, winning 7-2 for its 10th victory of the year.

The Golden Flashes come back in game two to defeat the Razorbacks, 10-4, forcing a rubber match on Sunday.

PHOTO BY RAZORBACK SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS

Game 1 | Arkansas 7, Kent State 2 (Box Score)

Knight has continued to show why he is Arkansas’ ace as he held Kent State down for six innings, scattering four hits, with just one run crossing the plate, a home run.

He also struck out six batters, his second start with six or more strikeouts.

The Bryant, Arkansas native’s ERA is almost microscopic as he has generated a team-leading 0.78 ERA and has only walked four batters in 23 innings.

Coming into this weekend’s slate of games, Knight was one of only five pitchers in the SEC with a sub-1.00 ERA.

At the plate, Arkansas played long ball as Eric Cole, Grant Koch, and Carson Shaddy all hit home runs.

Shaddy finished game one as the Hogs’ top hitter, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. It’s his first three-hit game of the season and 44th multi-hit game of his career.

Cole’s home run, a three-run shot that was part of a four-run fourth inning to break the game open, give him four for the year, which leads the team and is a top-five total in the SEC.

Cole got a hit in both games of Friday’s doubleheader, extending his hitting streak to six games. Over his last five games, he’s 8-for-18 (.444) with two home runs and six RBIs.

Seven different Razorbacks recorded a hit in game one, including six of their top seven hitters in the order.

Freshman Casey Martin, who was batting in the three-hole for the first time this year, went 2-for-5 in the game.

Catcher Grant Koch hit his second home run of the year in the second inning, getting the Hogs off and running after Kent State jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Game 2 | Kent State 10, Arkansas 4 (Box Score)
Arkansas didn’t fare as well in the nightcap of the doubleheader as Kent State took advantage of a couple of costly Razorback errors, scoring four unearned runs on starting pitcher Isaiah Campbell.

Kent State scored their first three runs of the game in the first inning, but only one wound up being earned as it was a fielding error from the second batter of the game that helped extend the inning.

After Campbell walked Nick Kanavas to put two on, Pavin Parks doubled to right-centerfield, giving the Golden Flashes their first two runs. Two batters later, a Brad Hamilton single brought in the third run of the inning.

Campbell labored into the fourth inning, but finished with 3.2 innings pitched, giving up five runs on five hits, with only one run being earned, as he was saddled with his second loss of the year.

Kent State led 5-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, but Arkansas was able to claw its way back with two runs of its own from an RBI single from Luke Bonfield and an RBI groundout from Heston Kjerstad, making it 5-3.

Unfortunately, a lone run for Kent State in the seventh and then a four-run eighth extended the lead to its largest of the night at 10-3.

Arkansas’ hitters never seemed to get into any rhythm in game two as it pieced together seven hits, but struck out 11 times.

Bonfield and sophomore Jordan McFarland both finished with two hits apiece. It’s Bonfield’s third multi-hit game of the year.

On the mound, Jake Reindl, Matt Cronin, Cody Scroggins, Caleb Bolden, Jacob Kostyshock, and Zebulon Vermillion all followed Campbell.

Reindl had one of the more effective outings, going 2.1 innings, allowing just two hits, one run, one walk, with three strikeouts on 41 pitches.

Up Next
Arkansas and Kent State will meet for the series finale on Sunday at Baum Stadium with first pitch at 1 p.m.

Due to the forecasted rain and thunderstorms that are expected in the Northwest Arkansas area on Saturday, game two between the Hogs and Golden Flashes was moved to today and played as part of a doubleheader.

Both teams will take Saturday off and play a final game on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Razorbacks open SEC play on road against Georgia

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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ATHENS, Ga. — Having won 16 of 18 through the first month of the season, Arkansas opens SEC play with a weekend series at No. 11 Georgia.

The three-game set begins Saturday afternoon at Turner Stadium in Athens.

All three games will be televised with Pam Ward and Carol Bruggeman in the booth handling the play-by-play and color commentary duties, respectively.

Arkansas (16-2/0-0 SEC) at #11 Georgia (19-1/0-0 SEC) | Game Notes
Turner Stadium (Athens, Ga.)

Game 1: Saturday, March 10 at 12 p.m. (SEC Network) – SECN+ | Live Stats
Game 2: Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m. (ESPNU) – SECN+ | Live Stats
Game 3: Monday, March 12 at 6 p.m. (SEC Network) – SECN+ | Live Stats

All-Time Series vs Georgia
Eight of Arkansas’ 18 wins in the series have come in road games.

In last year’s series in Fayetteville, Georgia won two of three but the Razorbacks’ win secured the team’s spot in the SEC Tournament. Overall, UGA leads 34-18.

Ready to Produce
Arkansas enters the weekend with 25 home runs as a team, a mark that is third in the SEC and tied for ninth in the NCAA.

The team’s .548 slugging percentage ranks eighth nationally while its .329 batting average is 15th in the NCAA. Overall, the Razorbacks are averaging 6.11 runs per game, good for 11th in the nation.

Last Time Out
On a windy afternoon in Wichita, the Razorbacks dropped a 1-0 pitching duel to the host Shockers.

Senior Tori Cooper tallied two hits but Wichita State got a second-inning home run as the game’s lone score.

And the Winner is…
Hannah McEwen (.500, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 7 R) was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the third freshman in program history to earn the honor.

McEwen is second in the league and tied for third in the NCAA with 29 RBI.

Twice the Fun
For a second time this season, Mary Haff (4-0, 0.00 ERA, 40 Ks) was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.

She also threw the program’s seventh no-hitter and tallied a save. Haff is third in the SEC and tied for 10th in the NCAA with 90 strikeouts this season.

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday

Morning Rush Hour 3

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Morning Rush Hour 2

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Morning Rush Hour 1

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs hold off Gamecocks; advance to quarterfinals

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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ST. LOUIS, Mo. — No. 6 seed Arkansas turned up the defense Thursday night, holding off No. 11 seed South Carolina, 69-64, in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Arkansas advances to play No. 3 seed Florida on Friday night at approximately 8:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.

The Razorbacks’ defense was big Thursday night, as Arkansas forced 19 South Carolina turnovers, swiping 10 steals, that all led to 19 points off of miscues for the Hogs.

Another big key for Arkansas was the Razorbacks’ ability to get to the free throw line and take advantage.

The Razorbacks finished 23-of-26 from the free throw line, its best percentage of the season at 88.5 percent.

Arkansas set the tone early with its defense. Despite hitting just one of its first five field goal attempts, the Razorbacks were aggressive on the defensive end and it paid off.

In a span of three minutes, Arkansas forced five turnovers, including three steals, leading to six easy points.

After taking the lead, Arkansas never let the Gamecocks reclaim the advantage.

South Carolina was able to tie the game at 26-26 with 4:02 left in the first half but from that point, the Razorbacks outscored the Gamecocks, 10-2 — all on free throws — to take a 36-28 lead into the locker room.

Free throws were the deciding factor in the first period. Arkansas went 14-of-15 (.933) at the charity stripe, while South Carolina went just 2-of-7 (.286).

The Razorbacks came out of the break on an 11-4 run, as four of their first five field goals were layups to stretch the Arkansas lead to 15.

After scoring 10 points off of turnovers in the first half, seven of Arkansas’ first 11 points in the second period came off of six Gamecocks’ miscues.

South Carolina would not go away, though.

Despite being down 15, the Gamecocks would fight back and cut the Arkansas lead to one with 7:22 left to play.

Up two, Jaylen Barford hit a ridiculous 3 as the shot clock was winding down to put the Hogs back up five.

After Barford added a layup on a steal, South Carolina rattled off five straight to cut the lead to two. Senior guard Daryl Macon was fouled and hit both of his free throws to stretch the Arkansas lead back to two possessions, where the Razorbacks would hold on and win, 69-64.

In the final minute and overtime of games this season, Macon is 32-of-33 (.970) from the free throw line and is 62-of-65 in his career (.925).

Barford led Arkansas with 17 points and three steals, while Macon was the only other Razorback to finish in double figures with 12 points, going 8-of-8 from the free throw line, adding four rebounds and four assists.

Anton Beard had a quiet night offensively with just seven points but brought down four rebounds and had a team-high five assists and three steals.

Adrio Bailey posted nine points to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Game Notes
• Arkansas has advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in three of the last four years.

• The Razorbacks improve to 25-25 all-time in the SEC Tournament and 3-2 against South Carolina in the tournament.

• Arkansas is 5-6 in the SEC Tournament since the league went away from divisions after the 2010-11 season, with two victories coming in 2015 and two more in 2017.

• During the Mike Anderson era, Arkansas is 124-7 in games it led at the half, including 39 consecutive victories. This year, the Razorbacks have led by an average of 9.8 points at the break in 22 wins.

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