Hogs’ ace baffles Aggies with 11 punch outs

Arkansas pitcher Blaine Knight wipes his face during a game against Texas A&M on Friday, May 11, 2018, in Fayetteville.
Arkansas pitcher Blaine Knight wipes his face during a game against Texas A&M on Friday, May 11, 2018, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks unloaded on Mitchell Kilkenny, the pitcher with the SEC's best ERA, and rode a record-tying strikeout night from junior Blaine Knight to a 9-3 series-opening victory over No. 20 Texas A&M on Friday night.

Carson Shaddy's three-run home run capped a four-run first inning for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (34-15, 15-10 SEC), which stayed atop the SEC West by a half-game over Ole Miss, an 8-3 victor over Auburn. The Razorbacks improved to an SEC-best 27-3 on campus before a crowd of 9,023 at Baum Stadium.

Knight (8-0) tied a career high with 11 strikeouts and pitched through some defensive lapses despite giving up a pair of home runs. The right-hander from Bryant moved into eighth on the Razorbacks' career strikeout list with 222 while pitching a season-high seven innings.

"That's definitely the best command I've had, the best stuff I've had in four weeks now," Knight said. "I hope it stays around. I'm going to work on it and try to keep it there."

Casey Martin went 3 for 4 for the Razorbacks, and Luke Bonfield and Dominic Fletcher added two hits each.

Jake Reindl pitched two scoreless innings to close out the victory for Knight, who threw 105 pitches and continued his string of victories over fellow SEC aces.

"I thought he really commanded his fastball in and out and his cutter ... they were having trouble hitting it," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "It was running from those right handers.

"He made a couple of mistakes and they made him pay for it. But other than that, he had a really good four-pitch mix and he controlled most of them and just really did a good job."

Arkansas pulled within 40-41 in the all-time series against the Aggies (34-15, 12-13). Texas A&M struck out a season-high 15 times, including four by leadoff man Michael Hellman, the Aggies' top hitter.

The Razorbacks jumped on Kilkenny by scoring four in the bottom of the first. Martin reached on a swinging bunt that Kilkenny couldn't field cleanly, then Heston Kjerstad replaced him at first on a force out at second.

Bonfield extended the inning by poking a single to center field, then Fletcher brought in a run by guiding a single into right field. Shaddy, in his second game back from a severely bruised hand, spanked a 1-0 low slider over the left-field wall for his 10th home run and a 4-0 lead.

"He made a good pitch," Shaddy said. "It was low and inside. My instincts took over. I didn't really think about it. I just put the bat on the ball and good things happened."

Kilkenny (8-3), who held the SEC ERA lead at 2.20 entering the game, gave up a career-worst 7 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks as his ERA climbed to 2.85. He had allowed four earned runs in only two other career starts.

"Kilkenny doesn't throw the ball in the middle of the plate much," Van Horn said. "I think the pitch that Shaddy hit he just left it out over the plate a little bit and he got it.

"He's a good pitcher, throws the ball with a downhill tilt. I don't think he had the command that he normally has ... and we got his pitch count up."

The Aggies picked up a run in the second on Hunter Coleman's towering solo home run inside the left field foul pole. Will Frizzell and Cole Bedford reached base with no outs after that, but Knight rallied to strike out Zach DeLoach, George Janca and Aaron Walters in succession.

Frizzell, the A&M designated hitter, pulled the Aggies within 4-3 with a two-run home run in the fourth after Coleman reached on an infield single.

Arkansas used a long run of small ball in the fifth inning to take control.

Bonfield worked a leadoff walk, and Fletcher's second single to right moved him to third base. Shaddy's walk loaded the bases.

Kilkenny got catcher Grant Koch to ground to third base for a force out at home on his 103rd pitch of the evening before being lifted for left-hander Asa Lacy.

Jack Kenley, who was forced into action after shortstop Jax Biggers took a pitch that broke the bone at the tip of his left index finger in the first inning, drew a walk after falling behind 1-2 to force in the first run of the inning. Then Hunter Wilson, playing first base and batting in the nine hole, was hit by a 1-2 pitch to bring in another run and make it 6-3.

Eric Cole laced a single into center field for two runs to break the game open. Martin added a sacrifice fly for the fifth run of the inning and a 9-3 margin.

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"I kind of fed off Kenley and Hunter in front of me," Cole said. "They both had good at-bats. Both got down with two strikes real quick and kind of fought off pitches. Hunter got his leg hit and he was fired up as he'll ever be, like usual. I kind of fed off that and knew it was my turn."

Today’s game

NO. 6 ARKANSAS VS.

NO. 20 TEXAS A&M

WHEN 1 p.m. today

WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville

RECORDS Arkansas 34-15, 15-10 SEC; Texas A&M 34-15, 12-13

STARTING PITCHERS Texas A&M LHP John Doxakis (6-3, 3.04 ERA); Arkansas LHP Kacey Murphy (5-4, 2.57)

RADIO Razorback Sports Network

TELEVISION ESPN2 SHORT HOPS Arkansas junior Blaine Knight had 11 strikeouts to move into eighth on the school’s all-time strikeout list with 222, passing Rob Quarnstrom, DJ Baxendale and Charlie Isaacson. … Arkansas shortstop Jax Biggers was forced to come out of the game in the first inning after taking a pitch off the index finger of his left hand. … The Razorbacks improved to 40-41 in the all-time series against the Aggies. … Arkansas men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson threw out the opening pitch. … Arkansas’ spring graduates Keaton McKinney, Jake Reindl, Carson Shaddy and student assistant Jake Arledge have been given SEC graduate patches for their jerseys, though McKinney is out for the year with an arm injury.

THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY vs. Texas A&M, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)

SUNDAY vs Texas A&M, noon (ESPN2)

MONDAY Off

TUESDAY Off

WEDNESDAY Off

THURSDAY at Georgia, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY at Georgia, 6 p.m.

Sports on 05/12/2018

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