SEC Baseball Tournament

On to the semis

Offense unleashed, UA in SEC final four

Arkansas center fielder Dominic Fletcher hits a home run to lead off the sixth inning against Mississippi State at the SEC Tournament on Friday night in Hoover, Ala. The Razorbacks scored six runs in the sixth inning and defeated the Bulldogs 9-2 to advance to the tournament semiÿnals, where they’ll face Florida at 4:30 p.m. today.
Arkansas center fielder Dominic Fletcher hits a home run to lead off the sixth inning against Mississippi State at the SEC Tournament on Friday night in Hoover, Ala. The Razorbacks scored six runs in the sixth inning and defeated the Bulldogs 9-2 to advance to the tournament semiÿnals, where they’ll face Florida at 4:30 p.m. today.

HOOVER, Ala. -- The No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks had another offensive outburst to remember Friday to take down No. 19 Mississippi State.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF

Arkansas right-hander Blaine Knight struck out nine Friday night in 6 2/3 innings against Mississippi State in Hoover, Ala. He allowed two runs on ÿve hits, earning the victory.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF

Arkansas center fielder Dominic Fletcher (28) congratulates first baseman Chad Spanberger after he scored on Luke Bonfield’s RBI single in the bottom of the first inning of Friday’s 9-2 victory over Mississippi State at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville erupted for six runs in the sixth inning, hitting for the cycle in reverse order, then adding another single and double to jolt the Bulldogs 9-2 in an SEC Tournament elimination game at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

The Razorbacks (41-16) improved to 4-1 against the Bulldogs this season and advanced to today's second semifinal against No. 4 Florida. LSU and South Carolina meet in the first semifinal at noon.

Florida is expected to go with right-hander Brady Singer (7-3, 2.67 ERA) while Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he would likely go with left-hander Kacey Murphy (4-0, 4.01) or right-hander Kevin Kopps (3-0 3.16)

Mississippi State (36-24), which opened the tournament with victories against Georgia and Arkansas, lost a pair of games Friday on its way out of the bracket.

Arkansas starter Blaine Knight (8-4) left with a 7-2 lead with two outs in the seventh after throwing 91 pitches and allowing 5 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk while striking out 9.

The Razorbacks broke open a tie game by flexing its power game in the sixth, starting with freshman Dominic Fletcher's solo home run to right field against Jacob Billingsley (1-3) for a 2-1 lead.

"I was sitting on a curveball first pitch and I got a really good pitch to hit, a fastball down the middle," Fletcher said. "I took it because I was sitting on the breaking ball and I ended up getting it on the second pitch.

"Whenever you can get something started that gets the whole team going, it's an incredible feeling. Our offense can do incredible things once we get going."

After Carson Shaddy walked, Billingsley was pulled and the Bulldogs' bullpen, which imploded during Florida's 11-run eighth inning earlier Friday, did it again.

Jax Biggers worked reliever Trey Jolly for 10 pitches, winning the battle with an RBI triple off the right-field wall. Biggers' third triple in two games is an SEC Tournament record.

"This offense can get really high intensity when we're going best," Biggers said.

Grant Koch then launched an RBI double over right fielder Hunter Vansau's head for a 4-1 lead. Jared Gates singled off Parker Ford to move Koch to third, then Jake Arledge's squeeze bunt brought him in.

Eric Cole followed with an RBI single up the middle, then Chad Spanberger drilled his second double of the game to the wall in center field. Luke Bonfield's sacrifice fly capped the six-run uprising by driving in Cole.

"I thought we were in a little lull there for a while," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "I think the expectation was we had one of our top pitchers and they were down in their pitching a little bit and sometimes hitters will relax.

"They were letting Blaine do all the work and finally they kicked it into gear. It started with Fletcher hitting that off-speed pitch out of the park. I really liked Shaddy's walk with no outs and then we started hitting it all over the park."

Knight's final inning included a minor amount of drama after Cody Brown opened the seventh with a towering solo home run over both fences in right-center field to cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 7-2. Knight allowed two more runners on a smash by Vansau and Cole Gordon's pinch-hit single, but also struck out Elijah MacNamee and Josh Lovelady.

Coach Dave Van Horn called on right-hander Jake Reindl with Ryan Gridley at the plate and SEC most valuable player Brent Rooker lurking on deck. Reindl struck out Gridley swinging on an 0-2 pitch.

Rooker, who went 0 for 4 at the plate, came on to pitch with two outs and one runner on in the bottom of the eighth. Rooker walked Shaddy on four pitches before Biggers laced a two-run double inside the third-base bag. Biggers rounded second base with a head of steam, but pulled up as the left fielder MacNamee fired a strike into third. Rooker escaped further damage when Koch ripped a drive to right field for a long out.

Spanberger, the man of the hour after his SEC Tournament record three home runs and seven RBI on Thursday night, got things going in the first after he tagged a double to deep center field with one out.

Bonfield's single to left field brought Spanberger home for the game's first run.

Mississippi State responded with an unearned run to tie the game in the second. Hunter Stovall singled off Knight and moved to second on Brown's single. Vansau worked Knight for a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with his grounder to first base. Spanberger threw to second to record an out, but the shortstop Biggers' relay to first was wild, allowing Stovall to score. Spanberger retrieved the loose ball and threw out Vansau at second.

The score remained 1-1 until the Razorbacks' big breakthrough in the sixth.

Gridley, who brought in a 10-game hitting streak, went 0 for 4.

At a glance

All times Central

TODAY’S GAMES

South Carolina vs. LSU, noon Arkansas vs. Florida, 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAME

Championship, 2 p.m.

Sports on 05/27/2017

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