Aloy's historic blasts punctuate Razorbacks win over Creighton

He's the first Hog in eight years to achieve the mark and the first since Chad Spanberger in 2017.

Arkansas functioned as the road team in the NCAA Regional, with the game technically being neutral site, despite being played at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Plenty of other Razorbacks joined in on the homer party. Catcher Ryder Helfrick, who continues his ascension up the order into the cleanup spot, homered in back-to-back at-bats.

Second baseman Cam Kozeal continued his hot start with his second homer in as many days as part of another multi-hit day. His solo shot opened the scoring in the top of the second.

Five homers as a team was coupled with sterling starting pitching from lefty Zach Root. Root needed just 94 pitches to get through six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, holding the Bluejays to just three hits.

No runner reached third base while Root was on the mound.

Arkansas needed Root to shut down the Bluejays as the team jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but left eight runners on through the first four innings. The Hogs left the bases loaded twice in the second and the fourth.

The Hogs had no problem getting baserunners against Creighton freshman starter Wilson Magers, but struggled to get a big hit until Aloy's tomahawk homer.

In the previous two winner's bracket games for Arkansas, the starter allowed 14 runs combined and set the dominoes in motion that eventually ended the season.

Creighton broke the shutout in the seventh with an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Tate Gillen in the seventh when Ben Bybee took over and pitched an inning.

Steele Eaves and Colin Fisher pitched a scoreless inning each to finish the game.

Arkansas advances to the regional final 8 p.m. Sunday and awaits the winner of Creighton and North Dakota State at 2 p.m. North Dakota State eliminated Kansas 4-3 earlier in the day.

Whoever faces the Razorbacks in the final will have to beat the Hogs twice to advance. A TV schedule has not been announced.

News and Notes:

After setting up a run with a key walk in yesterday's game, he drew three more walks and added an RBI single to set the table for the top of the lineup.

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