Arkansas sweeps Bucknell with tight Sunday win

Arkansas 3, Bucknell 1 - FINAL

Keifer Rawlings greeted reliever Jake Reindl with a double off the left field wall. Klugerman bounced out to third for the first out of the ninth. Wincig popped out to right field. Pinch-hitter Luke Hartman took two strikes to start the at bat, then missed badly on a breaker for the third out of the inning.

Matt Cronin (1-0) got the victory in relief for the Hogs. Reindl recorded the save.

Arkansas 3, Bucknell 1, after 8 innings

Rutledge allowed a one-out single to Johnson. But he fanned JohnPaul Bell looking on a 95 mph fast ball. Mike Korchak popped to left to end the inning.

Brenden Tuttle relieved for Bucknell. He put the Hogs down 1-2-3.

Arkansas 3, Bucknell 1, after 7 innings

Jackson Rutledge (6-8, 260) relieved to start the seventh. He hit 94, 95, 97 and 97 mph with his first four pitches, but all were called balls to walk Klugerman. Two were close. He hit the zone with three of his next four pitches to strike out Wincig. He got Madigan swinging, with Koch trying to get the runner at first napping. Lee didn't see the throw and it went to right field. Klugerman stopped at second. Scales put the ball in play for the first time in the inning, a nubber that Jared Gates handled easily at third for the final out.

The Hogs got on the scoreboard again when Eric Cole sliced a high drive over the wall in left for a solo homer to make it 3-1. The big wind, out of the south, seemed to lift the opposite-field smash as the left fielder kept drifting under it. Bonfield smashed one just as hard, but the wind gobbled it up in deep right center for a routine out.

Actual attendance for Sunday's game is 4,872. For the weekend, the Hogs drew 13,064.

Arkansas 2, Bucknell 1, after 6 innings

JohnPaul Bell hit a sharp single to right with one-out. Bolden retired the final two Bisons with pop outs.

Gottsman got a double play to face the minimum in the sixth. Carson Shaddy was on with a hit by pitch. Biggers hit a sharp grounder to second that was turned for a double play.

Arkansas 2, Bucknell 1, after 5 innings

Bucknell got the leadoff man, Wincig, aboard when Jax Biggers got to a ball to his right at shortstop but threw wildly past Lee at first. Lee stayed with a grounder off the bag at first, retrieved it in foul territory near the coaching box and flipped to Bolden for the first out, with Wincig moving to second. Lee handled another grounder his way for the second out. The Bisons stranded Wincig at third when Toso bounced out to second.

Eric Cole opened with a hard single to left and moved to second on a balk. Luke Bonfield's pop out to right moved Cole to third. Kjerstad, swinging on 3-0 against a drawn-in infield, lined out to the shortstop on a diving stab. Koch popped out to right to end the inning.

Arkansas 2, Bucknell 1, 4 innings

Freshman Caleb Bolden relieved to start the Bucknell fourth. He got a double play to work around a one-out walk. Jax Biggers was near the bag with the runner on the move and had an easy time turning two.

Gottsman stranded Jax Biggers after a two-out single. Fletcher's deep fly to left was held up by the wind, blowing in from center at 20 mph.

Arkansas 2, Bucknell 1, after 3 innings

Matt Cronin relieved McKinney to start the third. McKinney, who was hitting 90 with his fast ball, allowed one hit with two walks while throwing 45 pitches. Cronin, a lefty, opened with a 94 mph heater. He gave out a two-out double, but set down the Bison on 15 pitches.

Dominic Fletcher led off the Arkansas third with a single to left. Eric Cole walked on four pitches. Luke Bonfield lined the first pitch into left for an RBI single to give the Hogs a 2-1 lead. Fletcher scored without a throw. Evan Lee walked to load the bases, ending Simpson's day. Jeff Gottsman relieved and got Koch to bounce into a double play on a grounder to shortstop.

Arkansas 1, Bucknell 1 after 2 innings

McKinney got the leadoff batter in the second on a liner to Eric Cole in right. Cole made a nice running catch. He walked the next two batters, both on 3-2 pitches. On another 3-2 pitch, Tyler Wincig stroked an RBI single to center with Evan Klugerman moving from first to third. After pitching coach Wes Johnson's visit to the mound, McKinney got out of it with a double play. Evan Madigan lifted a fly down the line in left. Heston Kjerstad circled it and caught it on the run. His throw to the plate carried all the way to Grant Koch. It was an easy tag on the sliding Klugerman. The tag was confirmed by a video review.

The Razorbacks tied it in the second, after two outs. The inning started with Heston Kjerstad's liner to the warning track being misplayed into a double. But he was doubled off second on an Evan Lee liner to second. Grant Koch singled, moved to second on a Jared Gates walk and scored on Carson Shaddy's line single to left. Jax Biggers ended the inning with a pop out to left.

Arkansas 0, Bucknell 0, after 1 inning

Arkansas junior pitcher Keaton McKinney went 3-0 on the opening batter, then came back to get him with three straight strikes. That's a good start after sitting out last season with Tommy John surgery. McKinney put down the side in order with two strikeouts. He threw 15 pitches.

Bucknell starter Jack Simpson (6-8, 265) blanked the Hogs in the first inning for the first time on the weekend. Jax Biggers lined out to deep left. Dominic Fletcher popped to center. After Eric Cole beat out a slow roller to second, Luke Bonfield bounced out to third.

Pregame

Arkansas and Bucknell are scheduled to begin at noon.

All eyes will be on the Razorbacks' junior redshirt right-hander Keaton McKinney, who is starting his first game since 2016. McKinney missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The weather today will be the best of the weekend. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high temperature near 60 degrees and south winds that could gust up to 25 mph. Those winds will blow out to left field, which could help some right-handed pull hitters. There is a curfew on the day for Bucknell's travel plans. No inning can start after 3:30 p.m.