Kenley, Hogs hunker down with 2 outs

Arkansas second baseman Jack Kenley heads to first after hitting a two-run single against Memphis Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, during the Razorbacks' seven-run fifth inning at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

— Arkansas' two-out approach has been the team's strong suit the past week.

After several key two-out hits in a series win at Southern Cal last weekend, the No. 12 Razorbacks scored seven runs with two outs in the fifth inning Wednesday in a 10-3 victory over Memphis at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Jack Kenley, Christian Franklin and Heston Kjerstad all had two-run hits with two outs in the fifth as Arkansas turned a 2-1 deficit into a commanding 8-2 lead. The Razorbacks sent eight to the plate after Dominic Fletcher struck out looking for the second out of the inning.

"If you can tack however many runs we tacked on with two outs, that just kind of shut their dugout down over there with seven runs in the middle of one game when they've been in it," said Trevor Ezell, who batted twice in the fifth and had a one-out single before an inning-ending strikeout. "It's tough to come back from that."

In its past four games, Arkansas (6-1) has scored 20 runs and had 17 RBI with two outs in an inning. For the season, the Razorbacks are batting .313 as a team with two outs.

"We’ve done a pretty good job this year of finding a way to make contact and drive in runs with two outs,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “Hopefully that will continue.”

Kenley, who grew up just outside of Memphis in Germantown, Tenn., had the swing that opened the floodgates Wednesday. He singled up the middle on a 1-1 pitch by junior left-hander Danny Denz to score Trevor Ezell and Trey Harris. Ezell singled with one out and Harris made the rally possible by drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch with two outs.

It was Kenley's third two-out RBI in the past three games. He had a two-run triple to begin the Razorbacks' comeback effort at USC last Friday, and also had an RBI single to tack on an insurance run in the ninth inning of an 8-6 win.

"It was been more or less to be as aggressive as I can," Kenley said of his two-out approach. "Knowing that I have runners in scoring position, I need to get on the first pitch that I can hit. (Against Memphis) I was fortunate enough to get a good pitch and for the ball to find a hole.

"Those (innings) just crush the other team, take the air out of their sails. You get into those longer innings and they have been out there awhile and that probably had some to do with those plays they didn't make in the infield."

The big fifth inning was an atonement of sorts for Kenley and his teammates. Arkansas took a 1-0 lead on Fletcher's RBI single and loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, but was unable to breakthrough against Denz, the starter for Memphis (2-5).

Catcher Zack Plunkett hit into an infield fly for the second out and Kenley grounded out to shortstop to end the inning. Denz, who faced Arkansas last season, danced around six base runners in the first four innings and was nearly out of the fifth before Kenley's go-ahead hit.

"It was a little frustrating in the first inning tonight that we didn't come through with the big hit," Van Horn said. "...With one out and a runner on third, you've got to get a runner in. That was really frustrating because I felt like we had their lefty on the ropes and he might not have made it out of that inning had we broke that thing open."

Kenley indicated he was thinking about that first at-bat when he went to the plate in the fifth to face Denz for the third time. He also grounded out to lead off the fourth.

"Basically, I decided that since I didn't get it done the first time, it was about time that I get a ball through," Kenley said. "Thank goodness it got through the pitcher's legs. It was a big momentum shift in the game."