Arkansas crushes Texas 13-4 in series opener

FAYETTEVILLE - For Razorbacks fans even with old Southwest Conference days long gone, nothing warms a cold Arkansas night like trouncing Texas.

So despite a 50-degree start chilled into a 40-degree finish, most of the 5,140 Tuesday night at Baum Stadium departed well warmed by Arkansas’ 13-4 branding on the Longhorns.

The victory behind winning Arkansas starter Kacey Murphy, 2-0, bequeathing an 11-2 lead to reliever Jacob Kostyshock to start the seventh, ups Arkansas to 12-4 and tumbles Texas to 7-5 going into today’s 4 p.m. conclusion of the two-game non-conference series.

Jordan McFarland, 2-for-4 with a threerun double and RBI single for four runs batted in, Casey Martin, a three-run home run off the left-field foul pole, and Eric Cole, 3-for-5 with two doubles, led Arkansas’ 13-hit attack.

Arkansas opens SEC play hosting Kentucky in a three-game series at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Baum, while Texas opens its Big 12 season hosting Kansas this weekend in Austin.

Arkansas ran itself out of potentially scoring in the second.

Grant Koch followed Dominic Fletcher’s one-out walk singling past third baseman Ryan Reynolds into left, but was easily thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double before Jax Biggers flied out.

Then it was Texas running, or initially throwing, into trouble in the seven-run Arkansas third.

McFarland walked, and Carson

Shaddy singled to left.

Left fielder Masen Hibbeler threw wildly to third, allowing Shaddy to take second though without an attempted rebuttal by losing starting pitcher Beau Ridgeway.

Ridgeway’s rebuttal, an errant throw, scored McFarland for two errors on the same play.

Despite the miscues, all seven third-inning runs became earned.

Cole singled one home with one out. Heston Kjerstad walked, and Luke Bonfield doubled one home routing Ridgeway for reliever Bryce Elder.

Fletcher’s sacrifice fly and two walks preceded McFarland’s three-run double past third baseman Reynolds.

Murphy’s perfect 0.00 ERA through three starts and 13 2-3 innings got smudged by Zach Zubia’s two-out solo home run in the fourth and DJ Petrinsky’s one-out solo home run in the fifth.

Petrinsky hit a two-run home run off Kostyshock in the seventh that would have been a three-run home run but for Fletcher’s spectacular catch in center robbing Austin Todd of an extra-base hit before Reynolds walked.

McFarland ’s RBI single in the fifth followed Koch and Biggers singles before Martin, presuming his fly ball had turned foul, was stunned still at home plate to see it glance off the foul pole for a three-run home run.

Cole doubled home two in the seventh.