Live Blog: Arkansas vs. James Madison
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It's opening day for the No. 3 Arkansas Razorbacks as today they get set to take on the James Madison Dukes. We will be following the action live, keeping Razorbacks fans up to date as the game unfolds. Obviously, it's the first game of the season, so things might be a little rusty, but check back often as we update what has transpired.
Need to Familiarize Yourself with This Year's Team?
Take time to look through our in-depth coverage of everything fans could ever want to know about this year's Razorbacks. You will not only catch up on the latest developments, but will have tons of opportunities to get to know a lot of the new players fans will see today.
Check out the Razorbacks' season opening hype video:
Today's weather:
Well, so much for a nice, warm day at Baum-Walker. After several days of relatively nice weather, first pitch today will come up cloudy skies at 36° with 19 mph winds coming out of the north. As most will guess, a cold northern wind blowing through moist air is going to create quite a windchill. It's going to feel like 25° throughout the majority of the game.
Starting line-up:
Vandy game eye-opening
There has been a lot of talk about Florida, Arkansas and LSU, but after watching 11/3 of Vanderbilt baseball while waiting on the Razorbacks to start, a message has been clearly sent. The Commodores are stringing hard hits with a pair of home runs to go up 6-0 over Florida Atlantic in Nashville. There doesn't appear to be a weak link in that hitting line-up.
Of course, Arkansas and Vanderbilt don't face each other this season. However, if the Razorbacks and Commodores square off in the SEC Tournament, that's going to be must-see TV. The crazy thing is Vandy is considered the fourth best team in the SEC and is almost an afterthought in the overall preseason hype, but is ranked No. 6 in the country.
Top 1st Inning:
For those keeping count, Dave Van Horn's 22nd season just started off with a strike from Hagan Smith. He works a full count against the lead-off Dunaway before missing outside and the defending Sun Belt champions have the first runner of the game.
Smith sporting a red glove this year and is using the wrist device for pitch communication. It looks like Arkansas expects James Madison to run as Smith is working throws to first base pretty heavy. It wasn't needed as Smith plunks Mancini in the upper tricep and this is not how Van Horn wanted things to start. The Dukes have runners at first and second with no outs. If there is a positive here, James Madison isn't making contact. They're just letting Smith beat himself. You have to think that once he gets warmed up that won't be a successful strategy.
Trimble after he fouls off three full count pitches from Smith before he gets the ball up high and the wind carries it out for a 3-run home run. The thought is Smith would only go around 60 pitches today, but he's 20 pitches in without a single out. Seeing how that ball took off in the wind, it's hard not to think this is going to be a day where we see a lot of home runs.
Smith gets the clean-up hitter to ground out and, finally, the Razorbacks have their first out of the season. Smith gets Calabrese with a high fast ball for the second out of the game. He seems to be settling down, but the Dukes are fouling off a lot of pitches. If they get their timing down, it could get messy with this wind.
Smith walks O'Donnell and he's now up to 37 pitches. I doubt Van Horn thought he might have to consider getting McEntire up in the bullpen, but if he puts another one on, it's gonna have to happen. Smith gets Steinberg to pop up to right field, but the wind gets it and carries it deep down the fence line. Diggs is struggling to gauge it and it tips off his glove as he hand to lunge backward toward the warning track at the last second and the Dukes will stay at the plate. This wind is a nightmare for fielders today. That will come into play.
Smith finally gets a strikeout and the inning is mercifully over. That's 43 pitches, which means Van Horn has to plan for his starter to go maybe one more inning if he's going to stick with his original plan.
JMU 3, Arkansas 0
Bottom 1st Inning:
Van Horn opts to go with the catcher Hudson White in the lead-off spot. Not the typical move in college baseball. And there will be no long inning for JMU pitcher Todd Mozoki. He make short work of White with the strikeout.
He has Diggs for what should have been an easy out in left field, but as the right fielder settled under it, the ball blew to his left at the last second and landed on the warning track as his legs buckled from getting twisted up. Diggs scoots into second base on the assist from the wind.
McLaughlin rips a hard liner into shallow left field and Diggs is going to score easily. That gives Arkansas runners at first and second with one out. Wagner hits into a fielder's choice. McLaughlin gets thrown out at first, but Wagner is able to beat out the throw to first to avoid the double play.
That brings up fan favorite Peyton Holt and he sends the first pitch he sees screaming back up the middle for a base hit that drives Aloy in to make it 3-2. Holt had to play for Stovall last season when he was injured and got hot, and here he is again, the projected third base starter having to move over to second for an injured Stovall again, and he's swinging a hot bat again.
Jayson Jones grounds out to third and the Razorbacks complete their first inning of the season trailing 3-2. Considering how emotionally damaged Arkansas fans already are from the football and basketball seasons, this has to have them on edge.
JMU 3, Arkansas 2
Top 2nd Inning:
Well, the day is over for Hagan Smith. One inning, three earned runs. Now Will McEntire will come in and try to eat up innings. Right out the gate he chalks up a strikeout and he looks way more relaxed on the mound as he is pounding the strike zone.
McEntire gets the nine hole hitter to ground out and he's at the top of the line-up with two outs in only eight pitches. After a first inning that kept Razorbacks fans fighting off the freezing cold for a half hour, he bulls through three straight JMU hitters as he sits down Dunaway chasing a high pitch for his second strikeout of the game.
JMU 3, Arkansas 2
Bottom 2nd Inning:
In an update from the softball side of things, the Razorbacks took down Long Beach State, 7-0. Bri Ellis his a pair of home runs to put this one out of reach.
Jared Sprague-Lott makes his debut as a Razorback and he turns on the first pitch he sees and that ball may not land. He's way into the Hog pen. What an introduction for the Richmond Spider transfer and we're all tied up in Baum-Walker.
White comes up to bat and finds redemption for his opening at-bat. He shows why Van Horn wanted him at the top of the line-up. He crushes this ball over the 375 marker over the Hog Pen and it was hard to see where that landed. He absolutely smashed that one and the Razorbacks are on top for the first time this season.
Mozoki recovers and gets out of the inning, but the damage is done.
Arkansas 4, JMU 3
Top 3rd Inning:
McEntire gets the lead-off hitter, Mancini, to fly out to left field. Great job by Jayson Jones to negotiate the wind and the mask he's wearing to stay warm to make the catch. McEntire draws the 3-6-1 double play to apparently get out of the inning, but the officials are going to take a look. Aloy caught that ball at second with an odd foot placement and wasn't able to get as much as normal on the throw. It's going to be close. They decide it was a tie and the Dukes will keep batting with a runner on first.
Ball is hit up the middle. Holt comes across the front of the second base bag, scoops it up and tries to throw to first against his body. The throw is wild, but McLaughlin recovers at first quick enough to make a perfect throw to Aloy at second for the out to save a game-tying run. What a crazy sequence.
Arkansas 4, JMU 3
Bottom 3rd Inning:
McLaughlin rips a hard liner right to second base and the Hogs are one pitch, one out. Wagner and Holt draw back-to-back walks and things are getting a little shaky for Mozoki. The pair move into scoring position on a stolen base. Sprague-Lott comes up and rips a hard shot into right field. Wagner scores, Lott turns the corner and he's caught in a rundown. Fortunately for the Razorbacks, he is able to stay alive going back and forth long enough to allow Holt to score before he's tagged and Arkansas will head into the fourth with an extended lead.
Arkansas 6, JMU 3
Top 4th Inning:
McEntire gets a pair of strikeouts and gets another JMU hitter to pop out to White at catcher. He's really in the groove. His cutter is really moving and his fastball is really heavy today. More importantly, he's being highly efficient.
Arkansas 6, JMU 3
MID-GAME BREAK
Welcome to the Future: Arkansas Razorbacks Sports Venues Will Be Powered from Space
Bottom 4th Inning:
Mozoki's day is done and the Dukes will bring in Burke. He appears to have a very hittable fastball that runs in the high 80s, and Wiltsmeyer rips a hard shot to right. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, he gets a big lead at first and gets caught in a rundown. White then comes up to bat and lifts a long shot to left field that is caught right against the wall and the Hogs are two up, two down.
That brings up Diggs who has to duck the first two pitches he sees. The last one almost caught him in the head. Burke gets Diggs twisted up and he grounds out to first to get out of the inning.
Arkansas 6, JMU 3
Top 5th Inning:
One thing that has been evident today, and it will be a change fans will have to get used to, is the emphasis of an expanded strike zone. The umpires are consistently calling from the top of the letters to the knees.
McEntire works an efficient fifth. He strikes out the first hitter, gets the second to ground out and gets the third to pop out on a skillful over-the-shoulder basket catch by Sprague-Lott. If this is what McEntire is going to look like all season, this pitching roster is going to be even more potent than even the most hopeful Arkansas fan expected.
Arkansas 6, JMU 3
Bottom 5th Inning:
The Dukes bring in a third pitcher. This one, Logar, has a very whippy motion. This will be an interesting at-bat for the Razorbacks. He gets Aloy swinging, and Logar is throwing some nasty breaking pitches.
The Hogs can't solve what Logar is bringing and they go three up, three down. The offense has gone stagnant.
Arkansas 6, JMU 3
Top 6th Inning:
McEntire has thrown four innings already on only 49 pitches. Trimble lifts a long line drive to the gap in left field. He's in on a double, but and he now is a triple away from the cycle. McEntire covers first on a grounder and seems a little bothered by his knee afterward.
Calabrese grounds out to shortstop, but scores Trimble. McEntire follows with a strikeout, but as he walked off the mound, he looked like he was in pain. I'm not sure he comes back out next inning. Obviously, Razorbacks fans now have to hope it's nothing serious because that would be a huge blow to this pitching staff.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4
Bottom 6th Inning:
Logar carves up the first two Razorbacks he faces and then walks Sprague-Lott on four straight pitches to put a runner on. Logar comes back to strike out Wilmsmeyer and Arkansas has gone ice cold. This could be trouble, especially if Van Horn has to call on a new pitcher for the top of the seventh.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4
Top 7th Inning:
The good news is McEntire is back on the mound. He throws his 60th pitch and gets a groundout to start the inning. McEntire walks the next hitter and that brings the tying run to the plate. A check swing by Peifer floats to Holt on one hop. He steps on the back and quickly fires to first for the double play to get out of the inning.
Well, maybe not. Everyone went about business as if the inning was over, but the umpires came back out and said they reviewed the call at first and determined Peifer barely beat the throw. Rather than send McEntire back to the mound, Van Horn calls on Gage Wood. McEntire finishes up with six strikeouts while giving up three hits, a walk and one earned run.
Wood comes in and shuts things down in three pitches. A much better debut than the one he made last year in Arlington, He looked dominant.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4
Upset Alert
Just checked the scoreboard and FAU has come back on Vanderbilt. The Owls lead 11-9 in the bottom of the 8th. Also, LSU trails VMI 6-5 in the top of the fifth.
Bottom 7th Inning:
For some reason, JMU has decided to put Logar on the bench. That's a big break for the Razorbacks because he was shutting them down. Entsminger comes in and walks the lead-off, then gives up a ground single into right field to Diggs to put a runner in scoring position with no outs. While Entsminger is struggling a little on the mound, one thing that isn't struggling is his glorious mullet. What classic flowing locks. Strong look.
He recovers, getting three outs over two batters to end the inning and the Dukes head to the eighth looking to pull the upset.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4
Top 8th Inning:
Checking in on that Vanderbilt game, the Commodores will head into the final half inning needing at least a pair of runs to avoid losing their season opener.
Wood gives up a slow dribbler up the middle and that will bring up Trimble who is a triple away from the cycle. He represents the tying run. Wood throws high and it goes back to the wall. That moves Mancini to second.
Wood snaps a short breaker on the outside corner and for the first time today, Trimble takes a seat. The next batter hits a slow dribbler up the middle and Aloy is able to run it down and make the throw for the out. Mancini now rests on third. Wood gets the strikeout to close the inning and preserve the lead.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4
Bottom 8th Inning:
Wagner comes in and leads off the inning with a double to the track in center. Holt drives the ball deep to center. It's a flyout that went about 390, but he doesn his job in moving the runner over. Edmundson hits a chopper to second base with the infield pulled in and the play at the plate is easy to get the second out by a good three feet.
Edmundson steals second and Arkansas will have another runner in scoring position. Sprague-Lott will now be intentionally walked. The Dukes haven't been able to get him out all game. Wilmsmeyer flies out to center and we'll see if Arkansas can close it out in the top of the ninth.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4
Top 9th Inning:
Update from Nashville: Vandy was down to its final strike down 11-9 and score three consecutive runs for a stunning comeback win, 12-11. LSU has come back in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-6 lead over VMI.
Wood wills stay in the game to try to get the save. He battles back to force a full count and drives a nail with his fastball to get the strikeout to start the inning.
Slow chopper to second puts Arkansas an out away from a season-opening win.
A huge pop-up in the infield and the flags in the Hog Pen are flying high over a Razorbacks win.
Arkansas 6, JMU 4, Final