SEC BASEBALL

Hogs punt Aggies, thanks to long ball

Arkansas shortstop Casey Martin, shown in this file photo, hit two home runs to help the Razorbacks to a 7-3 victory at Texas A&M on Thursday.

— Home run barrages are becoming common place for the University of Arkansas.

A week after hammering five home runs in a victory over LSU, the fourth-ranked Razorbacks duplicated that feat Thursday night to overpower No. 19 Texas A&M 7-3 in the first game of a series at Blue Bell Park.

Trevor Ezell launched a three-run blast, Casey Martin hit two solo home runs, and Matt Goodheart and Jack Kenley added solo shots as the Razorbacks victimized three A&M pitchers.

The victory enabled Arkansas (40-13, 20-8 SEC) to stay on the heels of Vanderbilt in the SEC championship race.

Arkansas now has belted 75 home runs - the second-highest total in the SEC - but Coach Dave Van Horn said he isn't taking the power surge for granted.

"It just happened," Van Horn said. "We've got some guys with some power. You've got to give A&M some credit. I mean, they struck us out [18 times] tonight. We just put some good swings on a couple of pitches."

Four of those home runs came with two strikes. Martin, who now has 14 home runs, said that's not necessarily a coincidence.

"I think once you get two strikes on you, we're going up there hacking," Martin said. "Once you get two strikes you kind of back it up a little bit and try to see the ball a little bit deeper. [You] quit taking 100 percent swings and start taking 80 percent swings.

"The wind was blowing out a little bit, but I thought we had good approaches tonight even though it took us a little bit to get our offense rolling."

The Hogs produced more than enough run support for starter Isaiah Campbell (10-1), who allowed two runs - one earned - in six innings before being replaced by Kevin Kopps.

Kopps, Jacob Kostyshock and Matt Cronin pitched the final three innings to close out Arkansas' eighth victory in the last 10 games.

"His stuff was OK. He's had better," Van Horn said of Campbell. "But what he does is he gives you a chance to win every time he's on the mound. What did he have? One walk? That's usually what gets you in trouble against a good team. We scored some runs for him."

The Razorbacks broke through against Texas A&M starter Chris Weber (4-1) in the third inning. Christian Franklin led off with a double that glanced off left fielder Cam Blake's glove on the warning track.

After Casey Opitz's single to short center put runners on the corners, Trevor Ezell blasted a home run just inside the foul pole and deep over the left-field fence for a 3-0 lead.

Texas A&M scored runs on a squeeze play and an errant pick-off attempt at third base to pull within 3-2 in the fourth inning.

Martin and Goodheart answered with back-to-back home runs in the fifth as the Hogs regained control.

Kenley homered off relief pitcher Chandler Jozwiak for a 6-2 lead in the sixth. Martin blasted his second home run in the top of the ninth after the Aggies managed a run in the eighth.

"When A&M scored, we scored," Van Horn said. "They scored two, we scored two. They scored one there in the bottom of the eighth and we scored one in the top of the ninth and got it back. That's always a good thing."

Texas A&M Coach Rob Childress said his team also did good things. The Aggies, he said, just made too many pitching mistakes that resulted in home runs.

"We had 11 hits and 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position," Childress said. "More often than not when you get those opportunities you're going to be on the winning side, especially when you walk one and strike out 18.

"We made five mistakes on the night. And they didn't miss them."

Sports on 05/17/2019