Arkansas 10, Oral Roberts 2 - Final
The Razorbacks advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. game against the winner of Friday's nightcap. Heston Kjerstad put on a show in his first regional game as a Razorback. He went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs.
Jax Biggers and Grant Koch delivered with a pair of RBIs as well, and Carson Shaddy added another. Each player in Arkansas' lineup recorded at least one hit today and supplied more than enough support for Blaine Knight, who was fantastic outside of two home runs given up to Riley Keizor.
Oral Roberts put together a pair of two-out hits and drew a walk against Scroggins in the ninth, but he retired Trevor McCutchin with a groundout to second to end it.
Southern Miss and Dallas Baptist will begin at 7:04 p.m.
Arkansas 10, Oral Roberts 2 - End 8th Inning
Heston Kjerstad has done it again. He went opposite field for a two-run shot in the eighth to push Arkansas' lead to 9-2. Eric Cole opened the inning with a walk.
The SEC Freshman of the Year now has 13 home runs this season. Arkansas, for the day, is out-hitting ORU 14-3.
Hunter Wilson and Dominic Fletcher followed with singles and, in an attempt to gun down Wilson at third on Fletcher's single to right, the ball went out of play and Wilson scored to make it 10-2. Carson Shaddy will hit and Fletcher will be at third after ORU's fourth pitching change.
Logan Michaels entered and immediately hit Shaddy with a pitch, bringing Gates to the plate with runners on the corners. Gates and Koch flew out to center to end the inning.
Knight's superb day is done. He went eight innings, allowed three hits, two earned runs, and fanned a pair. The home runs allowed to Keizor were his only true mistakes. Cody Scroggins is now in to finish this one.
Today's attendance: 9,215.
Arkansas 7, Oral Roberts 2 - Middle 8th Inning
Blaine Knight is through eight innings and thrown 104 pitches, according to StatBroadcast. He's recorded 12 outs today in three or fewer pitches.
Arkansas will send the top of its order to the plate (Cole, Martin, Kjerstad) in the home eighth. Hunter Wilson would bat next should an Arkansas player reach.
Arkansas 7, Oral Roberts 2 - End 7th Inning
Luke Bonfield and Dominic Fletcher opened the inning with back-to-back singles, bringing Carson Shaddy to the plate. Hunter Wilson entered to run for Bonfield at second, and Shaddy laid down a perfect sac bunt down the third base line to put two in scoring position with one away for Jared Gates.
Gates went down swinging for the second out of the inning, giving way to Grant Koch, who singled home Gates in the sixth.
Grant Townsend is in to pitch for Oral Roberts. Townsend is 5-0 this season and carries in a 3.79 ERA.
Townsend got Koch to ground to third, and ORU third baseman Cal Hernandez waited on Dominic Fletcher - running from second - at the bag. Instead, Fletcher jumped around Hernandez and was ruled safe at third, allowing Hunter Wilson to score and extend the lead again.
Jax Biggers flew out to center to end the seventh. Knight is back to the mound for Arkansas in the eighth.
Arkansas 6, Oral Roberts 2 - Middle 7th Inning
Knight gave up another solo shot to Riley Keizor with two down in the top of the seventh. Knight fell behind 2-0, then delivered a strike before Keizor again took him over the wall in left.
Knight sits at 92 pitches through seven and has been really efficient today aside from the two home runs. The seventh was the first inning he threw more than 12 pitches since the second.
Bonfield, Fletcher and Shaddy are due up in the home seventh.
Arkansas 6, Oral Roberts 1 - End 6th Inning
Carson Shaddy's solo home run to left field and Jared Gates' double off the wall in right has chased ORU starter Justin McGregor in the sixth inning.
Shaddy's home run came one pitch after ORU catcher Riley Keizor threw out Dominic Fletcher trying to steal second base on a hit and run. Fletcher had reached on a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning.
Grant Koch followed Gates' double with an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-1. Jax Biggers, who can grip his bat with only nine fingers, hammered a two-run shot to right to make it a five-run game.
Heston Kjerstad flew out to deep right to end the inning. Blaine Knight (73 pitches) returns to the mound for Arkansas.
Arkansas 2, Oral Roberts 1 - Middle 6th Inning
Arkansas put runners on with two outs again in the fifth after a Casey Martin hit by pitch and a Heston Kjerstad single, but Luke Bonfield grounded out to end the inning.
Blaine Knight continued to pitch efficiently in the top of the sixth, retiring ORU hitters in 10 pitches. He has thrown just 73 pitches through six innings and allowed only two hits.
Arkansas 2, Oral Roberts 1 - Middle 5th Inning
Riley Keizor took Blaine Knight deep on the first pitch of the inning to cut the Razorbacks' lead in half. This is the seventh straight start in which Knight has given up a home run. He has allowed nine homers during that span.
Arkansas 2, Oral Roberts 0 - End 4th Inning
Carson Shaddy walked with one out but the inning ended when Grant Koch grounded out to the shortstop. ORU also wasted a two-out base runner in the top of the inning after Blaine Knight hit Andrew Pace in the foot.
Arkansas 2, Oral Roberts 0 - Bottom 3rd Inning
The heat and the lack of runs had kind of lulled the crowd to sleep. Then Heston Kjerstad belted a two-out home run to opposite field to put the Razorbacks ahead. That was his 12th home run of the season.
The wind is not blowing out at all - in fact, it might be blowing in a little - but Kjerstad was able to get enough under a high fly ball that it landed in the left field bullpen.
Jax Biggers led off the inning with a single through the right side on a 3-2 pitch, but Eric Cole and Casey Martin each flied out to quickly give Arkansas two outs.
Kjerstad's homer came after ORU starter Justin McGregor got behind 2-0 in the count.
Arkansas 0, Oral Roberts 0 - Middle 3rd Inning
Blaine Knight's breaking pitch is looking really good. He used it to get the final two strikes against Cal Hernandez to end the inning. Hernandez almost came out of his shoes on an 81 mph breaker for strike three.
Knight retired all three batters he faced in the inning. He also got a couple of hitters to hit into fly outs. His pitch count is 44 through three innings.
Arkansas 0, Oral Roberts 0 - End 2nd Inning
Neither team could do anything with two-out base runners in the second. ORU stranded two after a bunt single and a walk, and Arkansas got a walk from Jared Gates before an inning-ending popup by Grant Koch.
There is no wind in the stadium today and the balls hit to the outfield are not carrying as a result.
Arkansas 0, Oral Roberts 0 - End 1st Inning
The Razorbacks were unable to do anything with Casey Martin's one-out double to the wall in center field. Heston Kjerstad's groundout to the right side allowed Martin to move to third base with two outs, but the inning ended when Luke Bonfield grounded out up the middle. ORU shortstop Harrison Smith was in good position to make the play on a ball that might have escaped through the infield had he been a few steps more toward third base.
Arkansas 0, Oral Roberts 0 - Middle 1st Inning
Blaine Knight had to work a little for the second out, but he sat ORU down in order in the top of the first. He needed eight pitches to get Cal Hernandez to fly out for the second out, then got a weak comeback to the mound from Noah Cummings to end the inning.
Knight threw 14 pitches.
Pregame
It is a hot, muggy day at Baum Stadium with a high in the low 90s and a slight wind out of the southwest, which will benefit pull right-handers who hit to left field.
The Razorbacks have changed their lineup back to what it looked like prior to the SEC Tournament, notably moving Casey Martin back to second in the batting order and Carson Shaddy to sixth. Shaddy was hitless last week at the SEC Tournament.
There is a large crowd on hand already and it is expected to grow throughout the afternoon; probably will be a little late arriving because of the time.
Arkansas is wearing its cream jerseys with red hats. ORU is wearing navy blue tops with gold trim, gray pants, blue stirrups and blue and gold hats.
Joe Burleson is the home plate umpire. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.