Hard-hitting Arkansas belts old rival Texas 11-5 in first-round game.
OMAHA» Luke Bonfield hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning and Arkansas broke it game with an eight-run sixth in an 11-5 victory over Texas on Sunday in the College World Series.
The Razorbacks (45-19) scored double-digit runs for the fourth time in six NCAA Tournament wins and had their highest total in 28 CWS games. The Longhorns (42-22), in the CWS for a record 36th time, lost their third straight Omaha opener since 2011.
Bonfield delivered the first home run of the CWS with his two-run shot to left for a 3-2 lead. Parker Joe Robinson took over for Texas starter Nolan Kingham (8-5) to start the sixth and walked the only two batters he faced. That started a parade of pitchers who struggled.
Arkansas led 5-2 with the bases loaded when the teams were pulled off the field because of lightning in the bottom of the sixth. The Razorbacks picked up where they left off after the 2-hour, 49-minute delay. In all, 10 straight batters reached base, 14 went to the plate and Texas used five pitchers in an inning that matched Arkansas’ biggest of the season.
The Razorbacks swept the Longhorns 13-4 and 7-5 in Fayetteville in March, but this was the first time the old rivals from the Southwest Conference days had been matched in the CWS since 2004. This was the Razorbacks’ first win in four all-time CWS meetings.
Arkansas starter Blaine Knight (13-0), the Baltimore Orioles’ third-round draft pick, allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in five innings.