LEXINGTON, Ky. — Arkansas' offense had been riding Hagen Smith on Friday nights. In his previous seven SEC starts, Smith had received just 4.5 runs of support from the offense including a pair of one-run wins ahead of the start against Kentucky.
Smith once again held his end of the bargain, striking out 14 while allowing just one run in six innings. He is now 21 strikeouts away from tying Nick Schmidt for the school career record of 345 strikeouts in a Razorbacks uniform.
As for the offense, the first couple of innings felt like the same old story. The Hogs left four runners on base across the first four innings, allowing Kentucky to take a 1-0 lead.
However, after threatening to be a potential hinderance to the Razorbacks' chances of making Omaha, the bats finally clicked and Arkansas posted double-digit runs for the first time in 22 SEC games. The Hogs drew nine walks, their most since a 2-1 win against South Carolina back on April 19, and scored all 10 runs without the benefit of a home run.
"A lot of contributions offensively up and down the line-up," coach Dave Van Horn said. 'It was just a really good team win on the road.''
Perhaps the most encouraging sign is the balance in the line-up. Kendall Diggs headlined the act with four RBIs, breaking out of his slump, but seven of the nine Razorback starters also got hits. Ross Lovich came off the bench to pinch-hit and got his first hit in over a week, a key RBI double in a 3-1 game at the time as part of a respectable 5-for-17 night from the Hogs with runners in scoring position.
The Razorbacks look to continued its new found offensive prowess Saturday 1 p.m. and clinch a series win against Kentucky. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
• Diggs breaks through slump in series-opening win over Kentucky
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