Arkansas rallied from a three-run deficit in the first inning to defeat James Madison 6-4 on Opening Day at Baum-Walker Stadium, thanks to strong efforts from Will McEntire and Jared Sprague-Lott.
With Friday’s season-opening victory, the Razorbacks improved to 21-1 overall on Opening Day under head coach Dave Van Horn, including a 16-1 record at Baum-Walker Stadium.
McEntire, who came on in relief of starter Hagen Smith in the second, pitched 5.2 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts to get the victory. After JMU scored three in the top of the first, the Razorback veteran turned in four straight scoreless frames, giving Arkansas the opportunity to fight its way back from its early
Arkansas extended its lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to Sprague-Lott’s clutch hitting. The Razorbacks’ starting third baseman drove home two runs on a single to put the Razorbacks up, 6-3.
JMU would scratch across a run in the top of the sixth to shrink Arkansas’ advantage to two, but McEntire and Gage Wood shut it down after that. Wood, who took over for McEntire with two out in the top of the seventh, closed out the ballgame with his 2.1 shutout innings of work. Wood fanned four and earned the save, securing the Hogs’ 6-4 win.
Offensively, Sprague-Lott led the way with his two-hit, two-RBI performance. He also chipped in a pair of walks, while Kendall Diggs added two base knocks, including a double, in the Razorbacks’ season-opening victory.
Arkansas and James Madison continue their four-game series tomorrow afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, on SEC Network+, with Brady Tygart set to toe the rubber for the Hogs.
