Baseball Powers Past Creighton in Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. – The 20th-ranked University of Arkansas baseball team (31-19) used a three-run sixth inning to break open a tie game and roll to a 6-2 victory over Creighton (27-17) Tuesday evening at TD Ameritrade Park.

The National Player of the Year campaign rolls on for Andrew Benintendi as he went 3-for-4 at the plate, including his SEC-leading 17th home run of the year. The sophomore has six multi-hit games over his last seven contests, including 15 hits to send his batting average soaring to .412 on the year and his slugging percentage to a staggering nation-leading .780.

Benintendi’s three hits marked his seventh three-hit performance of the season and third straight, as he reached base four times and saw his on-base percentage move to .507 on the year, the tops in the SEC.

In a 1-1 tie heading to the sixth inning, Arkansas broke the game wide open, using an RBI triple from Bobby Wernes, followed by run-scoring hits from Rick Nomura and Michael Bernal to put a three spot on the board and give Arkansas a 5-2 lead.

Benintendi did his long ball damage in the seventh inning, taking a 2-0 pitch and crushing his 17th home run of the year to right field to send Arkansas to a 6-2 victory at the home of the College World Series.

The Razorbacks got a group effort on the mound, as James Teague and Jackson Lowery kept Creighton off the board over the first 4.0 innings, before Lance Phillips came on to work the fifth inning and earn his first win of the year. Dominic Taccolini closed out the game and earned his second straight save, tossing 2.2 innings and striking out a pair.

Arkansas will open its final SEC series of the year Thursday evening, traveling to Georgia for a three-game set with the Bulldogs. The two teams will play Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. before capping the regular season with a noon first pitch on Saturday at Foley Field.

#BennyBaseball Bullets

  • Has reached base in 23 straight games and has hit safely in 21 of those contests, including seven straight.
  • Is 11 for his last 13, including three straight three-hit performances.
  • Has reached base in 33 of his last 46 plate appearances.
  • Only has one strikeout in his last 45 at-bats.
  • Is the only .400 or better hitter in the SEC with a .412 batting average on the year.
  • Leads the SEC in on base percentage (.507), total bases (138) and home runs (17).
  • Leads the nation with a .780 slugging percentage.

Game Notes

  • Arkansas is 16-4 over its last 20 games.
  • The Razorbacks have won six consecutive road games.
  • Arkansas has 10 or more hits in 23 games this season.
  • The Razorback pitching staff has held opponents to two runs or less in seven of the last 10 games.
  • Joe Serrano extended his reached base streak to 19 games.
  • Bobby Wernes and Rick Nomura each recorded two hits.
  • Dominic Taccolini earned his second save of the year.

For more information on Arkansas baseball, follow @RazorbackBSB on Twitter.