FAYETTEVILLE — Robert Moore hit two home runs, including the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, to help No. 1 Arkansas stay unbeaten with a 7-6 victory over Murray State on Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks (8-0) rallied from a late-inning deficit for the fourth time this season. Arkansas beat Texas Tech on Feb. 20 and Southeast Missouri State on Feb. 25 when trailing in the ninth inning, and beat TCU on Feb. 22 when trailing in the eighth.
The Razorbacks have won 12 straight dating to last season. The teams are scheduled to play again Saturday at 1 p.m.
Moore, a switch hitter, hit both home runs from the left side. His homer in the eighth came against Murray State relief pitcher Alec Whaley, who entered with a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings.
Pinch hitter Zack Gregory led off the inning with a walk to bring Moore to the plate. He drove a 1-1 pitch into right-center field, near the video scoreboard where he hit his first home run in the sixth against reliever Jacob Pennington.
Moore's first homer pulled Arkansas within 6-5 and was the only blemish against Pennington, who pitched 3 2/3 innings and struck out five.
The Razorbacks had a chance to take the lead in the seventh when Casey Opitz doubled and Cullen Smith walked, and both advanced on a passed ball, but Jalen Battles struck out.
Arkansas stranded nine base runners.
Murray State (5-4) took a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning when Brock Anderson and Trey Woosley each hit two-run home runs against Arkansas relievers Connor Noland and Zack Morris.
The Racers had an opportunity to extend their 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth when they loaded the bases against Ryan Costeiu and Kevin Kopps, but Kopps struck out three-hole hitter Ryan Perkins to end the inning.
Freshman Jaxon Wiggins retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his first save. Wiggins has struck out seven and has not allowed a base runner in three innings this season.
Murray State struck first when Tanner Booth led off the third inning with a double and scored on Perkins' RBI single. Arkansas starter Peyton Pallette stranded the bases loaded by striking out Anderson.
Pallette struck out a career-high 10 in a four-inning no-decision. He also walked a season-high three batters.
The Razorbacks scored three runs in the bottom of the third after Moore and Christian Franklin walked, and Matt Goodheart singled to load the bases with no outs. Moore scored on a sacrifice fly by Cayden Wallace, and Opitz gave Arkansas a 3-1 lead with a two-run triple off the wall in right field.
All three runs came against Murray State starter Shane Burns, a preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference left hander who was pulled one batter into the fourth inning due to pitch count. Burns allowed 3 hits, walked 5 and struck out 4.
Arkansas 7, Murray State 6 — FINAL
Jaxon Wiggins retired all three batters he faced in the ninth, the final two by strikeout.
Arkansas (8-0) came back from an eighth- or ninth-inning deficit for the fourth time this season. Robert Moore was the hero with his go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning.
We'll have more on this game soon.
Arkansas 7, Murray State 6 — End 8th Inning
Jaxon Wiggins is going to get his first save opportunity in the ninth. He will face the 4-5-6 hitters in the Murray State lineup, beginning with the Racers' best hitter, Jordan Cozart.
Arkansas 7, Murray State 6 — Bottom 8th Inning
Robert Moore's second two-run homer of the game has given Arkansas the lead. Moore hit that ball almost to the same spot he hit his earlier home run today.
Moore has hit both homers from the left side of the plate. It was notable against the sidearm-throwing Alec Whaley because of how his pitches break into left-handed hitters.
Zack Gregory walked to lead off the inning. He took Whaley to 3-2 and laid off a high fastball to give Moore the go-ahead opportunity.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — Middle 8th Inning
Kevin Kopps threw a wild pitch and walked a batter to load the bases, but he struck out Ryan Perkins on a 1-2 cutter to end the inning.
That is the second time the Racers have stranded the bases loaded.
Arkansas will bring the top of the order to the plate in the eighth. Zack Gregory will lead off the inning as a pinch hitter for Braydon Webb.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — Top 8th Inning
Ryan Costeiu walked Murray State's eight- and nine-hole hitters with one out in the eighth inning. Kevin Kopps is coming out of the bullpen to try to keep this a one-run deficit.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — End 7th Inning
Jalen Battles struck out on a 3-2 slider by Alec Whaley, and the Razorbacks stranded two runners in scoring position. Arkansas has stranded nine today.
The Razorbacks have three come-from-behind wins in the eighth inning or later this season. They will need a fourth today to stay unbeaten.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — Bottom 7th Inning
Cullen Smith walked on a 3-2 pitch against right-handed sidewinder Alec Whaley, then Smith and Casey Opitz each moved up a base on a passed ball.
Jalen Battles is at the plate. A hit would give the Razorbacks the lead, but an out would strand two in scoring position.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — Bottom 7th Inning
Casey Opitz's two-out double down the left field line has chased Murray State reliever Jacob Pennington after 3 2/3 innings. Cullen Smith will come to the plate with an RBI opportunity after the pitching change.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — Middle 7th Inning
Patrick Wicklander put the Arkansas hitters back on the field quickly with a six-pitch top of the seventh. Wicklander struck out Brennan McCullough to end the inning.
Arkansas' 4-5-6 hitters will come to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — End 6th Inning
Christian Franklin singled with two outs, but he was stranded when Murray State first baseman Trey Woosley made a great play on a hard-hit ball by Matt Goodheart down the line.
Arkansas has stranded seven today.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 5 — Bottom 6th Inning
Jalen Battles singled with one out and Robert Moore hit a two-run home run off the video board to pull the Razorbacks within a run. That was Moore's second homer this year.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 3 — Middle 6th Inning
The Razorbacks have a little momentum going into the bottom of the sixth inning. The top of the inning ended when Casey Opitz threw out Bryson Bloomer at second base.
Arkansas will bring Cullen Smith, Jalen Battles and Braydon Webb to the plate in the bottom of the inning against Murray State reliever Jacob Pennington, who has been good out of the bullpen.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 3 — End 5th Inning
The middle of Arkansas' lineup went down in order in the fifth — the Razorbacks' first inning without a base runner. Cayden Wallace and Brady Slavens struck out, and Casey Opitz flied out to left field.
Patrick Wicklander will pitch for the Razorbacks in the sixth.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 3 — Middle 5th Inning
Arkansas third baseman Cullen Smith made a nice play on Tanner Booth's slow roller on the wet grass, and threw out Booth at first.
Zack Morris struck out nine-hole hitter Jordan Holly looking to end the inning.
Murray State 6, Arkansas 3 — Top 5th Inning
Trey Woosley has hit Murray State's second two-run home run of the inning, and the Racers lead Arkansas by three runs.
Woosley hit the homer off the video board in right-center field. It came against Arkansas reliever Zack Morris on a 3-2 pitch.
There is still a lot of game left, but it feels like the Razorbacks are in danger of dropping their first game this year. The momentum is in the Murray State dugout.
Murray State 4, Arkansas 3 — Top 5th Inning
Brock Anderson hit a no-doubt, two-run home run into right-center field to give the Racers the lead.
Anderson's hit came against Connor Noland, who also gave up a one-out bloop single to Jordan Cozart. Noland walked Brennan McCullough in the at-bat following the home run, and he is being taken out of the game.
Zack Morris will inherit a base runner at first. Morris worked out of a bases-loaded jam in his only other appearance this season.
Arkansas 3, Murray State 2 — End 4th Inning
The Razorbacks failed to score for the second time today when they put the leadoff hitter on base.
Matt Goodheart flied out to the warning track in center field to strand Braydon Webb at second base. Webb walked to lead off the inning and stole second base.
Robert Moore flied out for the first out of the inning and Christian Franklin struck out on a 3-2 pitch.
Connor Noland will come into the game to pitch the fifth inning for the Razorbacks. This is his second appearance of the season. He threw four scoreless innings against SEMO last Friday.
Arkansas 3, Murray State 2 — Bottom 4th Inning
Braydon Webb walked in five pitches against Murray State's Shane Burns to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning, and Burns' day is over. Right hander Jacob Pennington is coming in from the bullpen.
Webb is the third Arkansas batter in four innings to reach base to lead off an inning. The Razorbacks did not score when that happened in the first, but scored three in the third.
The partial final line for Burns: 3 innings, 3 runs, 3 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 hit batter.
Arkansas 3, Murray State 2 — Middle 4th Inning
Arkansan Jake Slunder's two-out single has given the Racers their second run. It scored Trey Woosley, who singled with one out.
Murray State stranded two when Byrson Bloomer struck out against Peyton Pallette on a 0-2 fastball. It was Pallette's 10th strikeout of the game, but probably his final pitch due to pitch count.
Zack Morris and Connor Noland are up in the Arkansas bullpen.
Pallette struck out three in the inning, but continued to uncharacteristically go deep into pitch counts. Tanner Booth struck out on a 3-2 pitch and Jordan Holly walked on a 3-2 fastball that was just low to bring Slunder to the plate.
The likely final line on Pallette: 4 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts. He could factor into the decision because of the pitch count.
Arkansas 3, Murray State 1 — End 3rd Inning
Jake Slunder, a Cabot native, made a great sliding catch from his position in center field to rob Jalen Battles of a hit to end the third inning. The Razorbacks stranded two batters — Casey Opitz, who tripled, and Cullen Smith, who was hit by a pitch.
Arkansas got Shane Burns' pitch count up in the inning. The left hander has now thrown 78 through three innings.
The rain is not falling as hard as it did during last Sunday's game against SEMO, but you have to believe it is affecting the pitchers today. Peyton Pallette has thrown 62 through three innings for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas 3, Murray State 1 — Bottom 3rd Inning
The Razorbacks have taken the lead on Casey Opitz's two-run triple with two outs. It looked like it could have been ruled an error. Right fielder Brock Anderson misplayed the ball on the warning track after having a good read on it off the bat.
Arkansas 1, Murray State 1 — Bottom 3rd Inning
Robert Moore and Christian Franklin walked, and Matt Goodheart singled to load the bases with no outs. Moore scored on Cayden Wallace's sacrifice fly to tie the game.
Murray State 1, Arkansas 0 — Middle 3rd Inning
Peyton Pallette avoided a big inning by striking out Brock Anderson to strand the bases loaded. The Racers put three straight on with two outs, including Jordan Cozart on a fielding error by shortstop Jalen Battles to load the bases.
Pallette would be fortunate to last more than another inning. His pitch count is now 62. He has struggled with command today more than in either of his other outings this season, and is going deep into a lot of counts.
The strikeout of Anderson was Pallette's seventh. He has struck out 23 through 12 1/3 innings this season.
Murray State 1, Arkansas 0 — Top 3rd Inning
Tanner Booth led off the third inning with a double and scored on a two-out RBI single by Ryan Perkins. Peyton Pallette has also issued a walk in the inning.
The Racers have their best hitter at the plate with two runners on base.
Arkansas 0, Murray State 0 — End 2nd Inning
Arkansas couldn't do anything with a one-walk by Cullen Smith. Jalen Battles struck out swinging at a 3-2 fastball, and Webb struck out after Smith advanced to second with a stolen base.
The Razorbacks have stranded three today.
Murray State's Shane Burns has three strikeouts.
Arkansas 0, Murray State 0 — Middle 2nd Inning
Peyton Pallette struck out three more in the second inning to bring his total to five today. He also issued a one-out walk.
Pallette froze the Racers' best hitter, Jordan Cozart, with a fastball over the outside part of the plate for the first out. Brock Anderson drew a seven-pitch walk, but Pallette struck out Brennan McCullough and Trey Woolsley to end the inning.
Woolsley almost went to his knee swinging through an 80 mph changeup on the inside of the left-handed batter.
The Racers did get Pallette's pitch count up a little bit in the inning. He has thrown 32 pitches. He'll be on a pitch count of about 80 today.
Arkansas 0, Murray State 0 — End 1st Inning
Robert Moore singled and Christian Franklin drew a four-pitch walk, but they were stranded in scoring position to end the inning. Matt Goodheart flied out, Cayden Wallace grounded out and Brady Slavens struck out.
Murray State left hander Shane Burns showed some good breaking pitches in the inning. He threw a 74 mph slider well outside that Slavens swung through to end the inning.
Arkansas 0, Murray State 0 — Middle 1st Inning
Peyton Pallette looks sharp again today. He struck out a pair of hitters with his mid-90s fastball and fielded a groundball to the mound well during a perfect first inning.
The rain is falling pretty steadily but they will continue to play for now.
Pregame
It is cold and rainy at Baum-Walker Stadium, but it appears Arkansas and Murray State are going to start on time at 3 p.m.
Both teams enter on good winning streaks. The Razorbacks (7-0) have won 11 straight dating to last season, while the Racers (5-3) have won four in a row.
Murray State was picked to finish third this season in the Ohio Valley Conference and has a veteran team. Its starting pitcher today is third-year sophomore Shane Burns, a left hander who was picked to the preseason All-OVC team.
Burns has struggled a little through two appearances this season. He brings a 6.23 ERA into today's game.
Arkansas will start second-year right hander Peyton Pallette, who has not allowed a run in 9 1/3 innings. Pallette has shown good command and has 16 strikeouts to two walks.
Casey Opitz will start today behind the plate for the Razorbacks. Opitz injured his wrist and neck during a collision at first base last Sunday.
Braydon Webb is also back in the lineup in left field. Webb is off to a tough start this season, just 1-for-16 this year. Webb will bat ninth in the lineup after beginning the year hitting cleanup.
Cayden Wallace will bat cleanup for the Razorbacks today.