Razorbacks go green defeat Cornhuskers

FAYETTEVILLE – Redshirt freshman Collin Kuhn had two hits for the 15th-ranked Arkansas baseball team including the game winner in the Razorbacks 7-3 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers Tuesday night at Baum Stadium.

The Razorbacks (13-3) wore green caps with their signature ‘A’ in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and won their fourth straight game while Nebraska (11-6-1) continues a tough road trip where it has lost three of four games starting last Friday.

For the second straight game, Kuhn, the reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week led off with an extra-base hit when he lined a double to right-center field. Two batters later he would come around to score when senior Ben Tschepikow belted a two-run home run to left field, his sixth of the season, and put the Hogs up 2-0.

Tschepikow’s home run extends his current hitting streak to 11 games where he is batting a robust .442 with 19 hits, 13 runs scored, four home runs and 16 RBI.

Nebraska would come back with a single run in the top of the second inning when it capitalized on three Razorback walks, but the Hogs returned the favor in the bottom half of the inning with two more runs, one scoring on a wild pitch and the second on Kuhn’s second double of the game.

The four Arkansas runs would be all that the Razorbacks needed in the contest, although they did tack on three more in the seventh for good measure, as the pitching staff kept Nebraska off kilter almost the entire game.

Sophomore Brett Eibner was the Razorbacks starter and tossed two innings while giving up a single Nebraska run on no hits. He was replaced by eventual winner Mike Bolsinger who went four innings and allowed just a single base runner on a walk and struck out six while also surrendering no hits. Scott Limbocker carried Arkansas’ potential no hitter into the eighth inning until Jeff Tezak singled through the left side with one out. Another single up the middle would be all the offense Nebraska would muster in the inning. Junior Jeremy Heatley finished up the game with 1.1 innings of work.

Nebraska would score two runs in the ninth on a pair of doubles to narrow the score, but could not overcome the six-run deficit it found itself in.

Arkansas’ final three runs came in the bottom of the seventh inning leading off with a walk by James McCann. With one out Kuhn was hit by a pitch and with two outs and first base open, Nebraska chose to intentionally walk Tschepikow. Arkansas’ next batter, designated hitter Travis Sample, stroked a double down the right-field line to clear the bases and give Arkansas a sizeable lead.

The Razorbacks would pound out eight hits in the game on way to their seven runs and commit just a single error. Seven different Razorbacks had at least one hit including senior Scott Lyons who now possesses a career best six-game hitting streak.

The Razorbacks and Cornhuskers conclude their two-game series on Wednesday at Baum Stadium beginning at 3:05 p.m. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.