After losing two, Hogs batter Missouri State

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Arkansas’ baseball team entered the ninth inning Tuesday night with an eight-run lead, and the sky didn’t fall on the Razorbacks.

After losing two out of three to LSU, which won 10-8 Saturday night with a fiverun ninth and 2-0 Sunday, Arkansas got back on track in a 12-4 nonconference victory against host Missouri State.

Arkansas scored in six of the first seven innings, breaking loose in a five-run fourth, and regained confidence before a three-game Southeastern Conference series at home against Georgia.

Arkansas banged out 18 hits with four players having three-hit nights. Chad Spanberger and Luke Bonfield each had three hits and drove in two runs, Spanberger also drawing two walks. Grant Koch and Jordan McFarland also had three hits, Koch walking twice and driving in two runs. Razorback leadoff man Jake Arledge scored three runs.

Spanberger doubled home Jake Biggers and McFarland in the five-run fourth, Bonfield’s single then scoring Spanberger and Arledge for a 7-2 lead. The go-ahead run scored when Arledge reached on a fielder’s choice to second with the bases loaded.

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn used eight pitchers, none working more than 1

2/3 innings and combining for

11 strikeouts. Missouri State, which lost to Arkansas in the 2015 NCAA super regional at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, scored single runs in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. Jake Burger homered and scored three runs for the Bears.

Arkansas (26-8, 8-4 SEC) and Georgia play at 6:30 tonight, 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. The Razorbacks play two nonconference games against Memphis next week with 6:30 p.m. starts Tuesday in Fayetteville and Wednesday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.