FAYETTEVILLE — DJ Baxendale pitched five scoreless innings and Cade Lynch added four in relief as No. 24 Arkansas beat Delaware State 5-0 in the season-opener Friday afternoon at Baum Stadium.
The Razorbacks (1-0) allowed just seven hits, earning a season-opening win for the 17th consecutive year.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “We made a couple of base-running mistakes but we also did some good things on the bases. Obviously the key was our pitching was good and we threw a lot of strikes.”
Baxendale (1-0) notched his first career win after going 0-2 in three starts last season. The sophomore gave up a base-hit on the first pitch of the game but settled down quickly afterward, striking out seven batters while walking just one.
“The first pitch of the game he tried to throw one down the middle not thinking he was going to swing, and he hit it right back at him harder than it came in,” Van Horn said. “I think it shook him up a little bit. They got a bunt or something and they were rolling. Any less of a pitcher might have given up a couple of runs there, so I think that was good for him. He gave up a couple of two-strike hits I wish we could get back, but he was good.”
Delaware State starter Jordan Elliot wasn’t too bad either, allowing just one run on three hits in five innings. Collin Kuhn’s bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second inning gave the Razorbacks the only run they would need.
Arkansas roughed up Hornets reliever Derek Marshallsea with a three-run sixth inning. Kyle Robinson led off the inning with a double and scored later on a balk. Matt Vinson followed with a two-out triple and scored on a wild pitch, while Jarrod McKinney later crossed the plate on an error.
“We took advantage of a ball they booted in the outfield and scored,” Van Horn said, “but other than that they didn’t give us much except when we got to third base and they wild pitched and balked us in.”
The Razorbacks recorded eight hits on the afternoon, but stranded nine runners. Robinson, the team’s lone senior, had two of those hits, including an RBI single in the seventh to plate Kuhn.
“He had some good at-bats,” Van Horn said. “He lined out hard to left field in the first inning. They were playing extremely deep on us today. We haven’t played that deep against ourselves in scrimmages. We were thinking they were going to play shallow with those bats and the wind blowing in, and those guys were playing deep. I think it helped them. Kyle got a couple of hits, lined out and took a walk. He’s a good hitter.”
Robinson was in a battle with freshmen Dominic Ficociello and Eric Fisher at first base throughout the off-season, but found himself in right field Friday while Ficociello manned the corner infield spot.
“I didn’t know where I was playing until I came to the field today and looked at the board,” Robinson said. “He said I’d be either DH, right field or first. It’s day-to-day before the game.
“I felt good and relaxed. With it being the first game I was a little nervous before the game. I settled down and played like it was any other game.”
An opening-day record 7,526 fans found their way into Baum Stadium for the game.
“I appreciate it and I know the kids appreciate it,” Van Horn said. “I’m glad the guys got to play in front of that many people the first day to get used to it a little bit. They were loud, too, and it was fun.”
The Razorbacks and Hornets will play the second of their three-game set Saturday with a first pitch set for 1:05 p.m.