Arkansas beats Texas Tech in Omaha

Arkansas first baseman Jared Gates (3) is congratulated by hitting coach Nate Thompson (30) after Gates hit a home run during a College World Series game against Texas Tech on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Omaha, Neb.
Arkansas first baseman Jared Gates (3) is congratulated by hitting coach Nate Thompson (30) after Gates hit a home run during a College World Series game against Texas Tech on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Omaha, Neb.

Arkansas 7, Texas Tech 4 - Final

Matt Cronin retired three straight to end the game and Arkansas is headed to the national semifinals. We'll have much more at WholeHogSports.com tonight after interviews.

Arkansas 7, Texas Tech 4 - Bottom 9th Inning

Texas Tech's first three hitters have reached against Matt Cronin in the ninth and Cody Farhat's two-run single past first base scored two Red Raiders. Jake Reindl is getting hot in the bullpen as Wes Johnson talks with Cronin.

The inability to put any of those three away means Cronin is going to have to face the top of the Texas Tech order in the inning.

Arkansas 7, Texas Tech 2 - Middle 9th Inning

Arkansas couldn't do anything with Eric Cole's two-out walk. Matt Cronin will face Cameron Warren, Michael Davis and Cody Farhat in the ninth.

Arkansas 7, Texas Tech 2 - End 8th Inning

Mercy, Matt Cronin just made a .346 hitter look silly. Cronin threw three pitches, all 94 mph and all for strikes. The Razorbacks' staff has 13 strikeouts today.

Arkansas will send Grant Koch, Jax Biggers and Eric Cole to the plate in the ninth inning.

Arkansas 7, Texas Tech 2 - Bottom 8th Inning

Barrett Loseke's day is over with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Matt Cronin is coming in from the bullpen to try to close this game out.

Cronin will face left-handed designated hitter Zach Rheams with a runner on first base. Josh Jung singled past the shortstop with one out, but was out on a fielder's choice. Grant Little is the runner on first.

Loseke allowed two hits in three innings. He struck out five.

Arkansas 7, Texas Tech 2 - Middle 8th Inning

Carson Shaddy added an RBI single to score Heston Kjerstad. Jared Gates nearly added another run, but Gabe Holt made a great leaping catch in right field to rob him of a potential base hit. The inning ended when Dominic Fletcher was out on a passed ball, catcher unassisted. The ball bounced right back to the catcher, Braxton Fulford, who easily made the tag at the plate.

Arkansas 6, Texas Tech 2 - Top 8th Inning

Dominic Fletcher has four hits today, including an RBI single that scored Casey Martin from second base. Martin reached on a line-drive single to lead off the inning and Heston Kjerstad followed with a bloop single to left field.

Fletcher came to the plate after a failed two-strike bunt attempt by pinch-hitter Hunter Wilson. Fletcher has 4 RBI today.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 2 - End 7th Inning

Barrett Loseke struck out three more in the seventh, ending the inning with a pitch that locked up Gabe Holt at the knees. The Red Raiders have struck out 12 times. Texas Tech struck out 17 times against Arkansas earlier this season.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 2 - Middle 7th Inning

The Razorbacks went down in order in the seventh inning against Texas Tech reliever Jose Quezada, who has been good. Quezada has scattered two hits in 3 1/3 innings and has two strikeouts. All five Arkansas runs came against the Texas Tech starter, Davis Martin.

Barrett Loseke will face the bottom of the Red Raiders' order in the bottom of the seventh.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 2 - End 6th Inning

Barrett Loseke had a nice, easy inning for Arkansas in the sixth. He struck out Grant Little and Zach Rheams, the Red Raiders' Nos. 4 and 5 hitters, and Cameron Warren lined out to third base to end the inning.

Texas Tech has only two hits today.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 2 - Middle 6th Inning

Dominic Fletcher bunted to lead off the sixth, but was erased when Jared Gates hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. For as in control as Arkansas has been in this game, there is still a feel of uneasiness among the fans here, probably because of how explosive the Red Raiders' offense can be.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 2 - End 5th Inning

Josh Jung grounded out to Carson Shaddy at second base to end the inning and strand Texas Tech's fourth base runner.

Kacey Murphy's final line: 4 2/3 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 2 - Bottom 5th Inning

Kacey Murphy nearly got out of the jam, but Brian Klein, the Texas Tech two-hole hitter, doubled off the wall in right field to score two runs. Barrett Loseke will pitch with two outs in the inning.

Klein's hit came on a 1-1 pitch. Murphy struck out leadoff hitter Gabe Holt for the second out.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 0 - Bottom 5th Inning

Kacey Murphy has run into a little trouble in the fifth inning. Michael Davis struck out, but reached when Grant Koch couldn't find the ball in the dirt, and Cody Farhat reached on a four-pitch walk to give the Red Raiders two on with no outs.

Barrett Loseke, who shut Texas Tech down in Fayetteville earlier this year, is in the bullpen warming up.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 0 - End 4th Inning

Kacey Murphy worked around a hit-by-pitch with two outs in the fourth. Cameron Warren flied out to left field to strand a runner.

Murphy has thrown 63 pitches through four innings. His strikeout count is up to five and he hasn't allowed a hit since the leadoff hit in the first.

Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 0 - Middle 4th Inning

Jax Biggers added a two-out RBI single to score Carson Shaddy and chase Texas Tech starter Davis Martin. The inning ended when Biggers was caught stealing second base.

Martin's final line: 3 2/3 innings, 5 runs, 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts.

Arkansas 4, Texas Tech 0 - Top 4th Inning

Dominic Fletcher worked a nine-pitch at-bat and crushed the ninth one into right field for Arkansas' second home run of the day and 97th of the season.

Carson Shaddy followed with a walk and the Red Raiders' bullpen is scurrying with no outs in the fourth inning. Davis Martin has thrown 64 pitches.

Arkansas 3, Texas Tech 0 - End 3rd Inning

Kacey Murphy struck out the side in the third inning and he is rolling after a shaky start. The left-hander has thrown 44 pitches through three innings and has allowed only one hit, in the first at-bat of the game.

Arkansas 3, Texas Tech 0 - End 2nd Inning

Arkansas is making all the plays so far. Heston Kjerstad made a great leaping catch against the outfield wall for the second out in the second inning, and Grant Koch threw out Cameron Warren trying to steal second base to end the inning. Warren got a good jump, but kept his hand up while he was sliding into the base and slid right into Carson Shaddy's glove for the out.

Arkansas is out-hitting Texas Tech 4-1. The Red Raiders have had two reach by way of an error and a walk.

Arkansas 3, Texas Tech 0 - Top 2nd Inning

Jared Gates led off the second inning with a home run to the right field bullpen. That improved his postseason batting average to .406 and was his third home run of the postseason.

Arkansas 2, Texas Tech 0 - End 1st Inning

Gabe Holt singled and Brian Klein reached on a throwing error by pitcher Kacey Murphy, but Murphy retired the next three batters to get out of the inning unscathed.

Murphy struck out Grant Little for the second out and Zach Rheams popped up to third base to strand two. Holt, a freshman, extended his hit streak to 16.

Arkansas 2, Texas Tech 0 - Middle 1st Inning

Arkansas is on the board first after a blunder by the Texas Tech outfield. Eric Cole led off with a single and Casey Martin followed with a double to put runners on second and third base with no outs.

After Heston Kjerstad and Luke Bonfield struck out, Dominic Fletcher flied out to right-center field, but the center and right fielders collided and the ball fell to the turf, allowing both runs to score and Fletcher to move to second base. There was no error on the play, presumably because it was too difficult to decide who was at fault, so it was ruled a double.

Fletcher moved to third base on a passed ball, but Carson Shaddy struck out to strand him.

Pregame

More than 20 hours after they were originally supposed to begin, Arkansas and Texas Tech are about to get underway in Omaha.

The Razorbacks are the road team today and are wearing their gray jerseys with red hats. Texas Tech is in its red tops, white pants and black hats.

It is a sparse crowd, as you would expect for a game in the middle of the day and after all the rain delays. The temperature is considerably cooler after all the rain passed through, about 70 degrees and cloudy.

Kacey Murphy, a junior left-hander, is Arkansas' starter today. He is 8-5 with a 3.12 ERA in 16 appearances this season, including 15 starts.

Texas Tech will throw right-handed junior Davis Martin, who is 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 16 appearances - all starts. Martin is a sinker pitcher and usually works in the low 90s fastball.

Barry Chambers, an SEC umpire, is behind the plate today.

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