Hill Cox combine for two-hit shutout

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior Travis Hill and sophomore Evan Cox combined for a two-hit shutout for the University of Arkansas baseball team against Centenary College on Tuesday night, a game that ended with a 9-0 Razorback victory at Baum Stadium.

Hill, making the second start of his career, threw a career long six innings and nabbed his first win as a starter. The Spokane, Wash., native also had a career high four strikeouts and was incredibly efficient with his pitches as he threw just 68 over his six innings of work. Evan Cox shut the door for the Razorbacks and picked up the first save of his career helping Arkansas improve to 15-8 on the season. Centenary falls to 13-5.

The Arkansas tandem teamed for the first shutout of the year by the Razorbacks and the first since Arkansas blanked Creighton in the NCAA regional last June.

“I thought we did a really good job today,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “We got some timely hits and I was really proud of Evan Cox. He threw some nice breaking balls and it was the best he has ever thrown.”

Arkansas got off to a solid start when leadoff hitter Ben Tschepikow fouled off a pair of 3-2 pitches before getting hit on the forearm and taking a free pass to first. Two batters later, Andy Wilkins launched a pitch off the back wall of the visitors bullpen to give the Razorbacks a 2-0 lead.

The Razorbacks put up another four runs in the bottom of the second when a pair of walks and a single by Tschepikow scored Andrew Darr. Another walk and the bases were loaded for Wilkins who hit a shot to right center for a bases clearing double giving the freshman from Broken Arrow, Okla., five RBI for the game in just the second inning.

The third inning was just as fruitful for the Razorbacks as Jacob House and Darr hit back-to-back solo home runs to put Arkansas up 8-0. The home run streak was the third time that an Arkansas duo has hit a long ball in consecutive at bats this season and the first time since Brett Eibner and Wilkins went deep on March 5 against South Dakota St.

At the plate for the Razorbacks Darr had three hits with two runs scored and an RBI, Wilkins and Tim Smalling had two hits each while Tschepikow and House accounted for the other two of Arkansas’ nine hits in the game.

The Razorbacks go for the series sweep against Centenary on Wednesday afternoon with a 3:05 start at Baum Stadium. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit www.hogwired.com.