FAYETTEVILLE — Connor Noland started and threw into the fifth inning of a scrimmage Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium, which was likely his final outing of the preseason.
Noland allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and struck out 7 in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed home runs to Chris Lanzilli to lead off the second inning and to Braydon Webb with two outs in the third.
Otherwise, hitters from the lineup that consisted mostly of projected backups struggled to get good contact against Noland. Six of his strikeouts came on swinging strike threes, including strikeouts of Dylan Leach and Jude Putz in the fourth inning, and Drake Varnado and Kendall Diggs to end his outing in the fifth.
“Connor’s doing well,” said catcher Michael Turner, who was behind the plate for all of Noland’s pitches. “Some of his stuff stayed up a little bit.
“All of his off-speed stuff looked really good. His curveball, slider — he got a lot of swings and misses, check swings. He makes people uncomfortable and you can see that.”
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Earlier this week, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn indicated Noland would start in next Friday’s season opener against Illinois State.
“Can he be an ace? Sure,” Van Horn said Monday. “He’s got four pitches…and might have five.
“He’s got stamina. We’re building him up. You’ll probably see him Day 1 against Illinois State.”
Lanzilli’s home run hugged just inside the foul pole in left field. The ball looked like it might hook foul, but a north wind pushed the ball into play.
Turner said the homer came on a cutter from Noland, who is developing the pitch this preseason. Noland struck out Diggs and Webb with the pitch in the first inning.
“It’s been really good for him, but it’s still a new pitch, though,” Turner said. “He’s still getting used to it.”
Webb’s home run was the most impressive of the day — a no-doubter that sailed over the 375-foot mark in left-center field by some 50 feet and landed in front of the portable bleachers located in the Hog Pen. Varnado, who singled on a 0-2 count, also scored.
“That was a good swing by Webb,” Turner said. “He led the team in homers before we left in the fall and he picked up right where he left off.”
Noland was backed up by a strong defensive play in the fourth inning. Max Soliz hit a hopper that bounced off the glove of third baseman Cayden Wallace, but Wallace was able to corral the ball and threw in the dirt to first baseman Peyton Stovall, who made a great pick.
Wallace and Turner also hit home runs Friday. Wallace batted in the two hole and Turner hit fourth.
Both of their home runs came against Heston Tole in the fourth inning. Wallace led off the inning with a line drive to the batter’s eye in center field. After Jace Bohrofen doubled to right field on a 1-0 pitch, the left-handed hitting Turner drove a two-strike pitch the other way and into the left-field bullpen.
Similar to Lanzilli’s home run, Turner’s appeared to be aided some by the wind.
“The ball flies to left pretty good here,” said Turner, a graduate transfer from Kent State. “I like it.”
Wallace (2 for 3) and Turner (2 for 4) were among five players with multiple hits Friday. Stovall and Bohrofen were each 2 for 4, doubled and walked once.
Wallace also scored twice, walked twice and had 2 RBI.
Lanzilli was 2 for 3 and walked once. Playing left field, Lanzilli also made a great grab to rob Brady Slavens of a base hit in the fourth inning. Slavens hit a line drive, but Lanzilli slid and made a catch at the tip of his glove.
Kole Ramage was impressive in two innings of scoreless relief against the Razorbacks’ top hitters. Ramage struck out five, including Wallace in the fifth and Bohrofen, Turner and Robert Moore in the sixth.
Stovall was the only batter to reach against Ramage with a one-out single in the fifth. The inning ended on a strikeout-caught stealing double play. Stovall was thrown out by catcher Dylan Leach when Wallace swung through strike three.
Gabe Starks stranded the bases loaded to end the scrimmage with a strikeout of Bohrofen. Starks gave up an infield single to Jalen Battles and walked Stovall and Wallace with two outs.
Nick Griffin, the redshirt freshman left hander who missed last season with Tommy John surgery, pitched 1 2/3 innings in a start opposite Noland. The first three hitters reached against him with a double, single and walk.
Other notes from Friday:
• Elijah Trest pitched in relief of Noland and struck out Webb, the only batter he faced.
• Slavens singled past third base and into left field in his first at-bat when the defense was shifted toward the right side of the infield.
• Evan Taylor replaced Griffin in the second inning and allowed Turner’s single. Taylor stranded two in the inning when he struck out Moore, who was 1 for 4.
• Tole allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings of relief. He also committed an error with an errant pickoff throw.
• Miller Pleimann pitched a scoreless sixth when he worked around a Lanzilli single before back-to-back strikeouts.
• Zebulon Vermillion walked the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh, but escaped the jam when Leach struck out looking. Vermillion also threw a wild pitch in the inning.
• Webb, whose defensive ability in center field was praised by Van Horn two weeks ago, did not play with the team of other projected starters Friday. Zack Gregory got the start for that team in center. Webb also played center during his time in the field.