ARLINGTON, Texas — The Diamond Hogs are back and the season began with a win over future SEC rival Texas, 3-2 at the College Baseball Showdown. It's the second straight trip to Arlington that Arkansas has knocked off the Longhorns.
Dave Van Horn entrusted sophomore Hagen Smith with the Opening Day start and he was brilliant. In five innings of work, Smith struck out eight and allowed just two hits.
The pitchers had the advantage on Friday. Texas starter Lucas Gordon also kept the Razorbacks off the scoreboard through five innings.
Finally in the seventh, the Hogs broke the ice. With the bases loaded and nobody out, sophomore Kendall Diggs lined a single into left that put Arkansas up a pair.
Transfer shortstop John Bolton would make it 3-0 with an RBI double. Bolton was 2-3 in his Arkansas debut.
Texas would respond in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run by Porter Brown off Cody Adcock. The Longhorns would score a second run in the inning by the way of a wild pitch by Koty Frank.
In the 8th inning the Longhorns would two runners on with just one out. Van Horn turned to Brady Tygart who proceeded to strike out the next two hitters.
Tygart would shut the door in the ninth for the first Diamond Hogs victory of the season. Adcock would earn the win, while Tygart got the save.
Arkansas is back in action on Saturday night at 7 p.m. against #15 TCU. The game will be broadcast once again on FloSports.