Razorbacks Secure Opening Day Win behind Big Games from McEntire, Sprague-Lott

Oliver Grigg February 16, 2024

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Behind big performances from Will McEntire and Jared Sprague-Lott, No. 3 Arkansas overcame a three-run deficit in the first inning to secure a 6-4 Opening Day win against James Madison at Baum-Walker Stadium.

With Friday’s season-opening win, the Razorbacks improved to 21-1 overall on Opening Day under head coach Dave Van Horn, including a 16-1 record when kicking off the season inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium.

McEntire, who entered in relief of starter Hagen Smith in the second, spun 5.2 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts to earn the win. After JMU scored three in the top of the first, the Razorback veteran turned in four consecutive scoreless frames to give Arkansas an opportunity to work its way back from its early deficit.

RBI singles from Ben McLaughlin and Peyton Holt in the bottom half of the first cut the deficit to one before a pair of solo homers in the bottom of the second catapulted the Razorbacks in front. Sprague-Lott, a Richmond transfer, led off the second with a solo home run, and Hudson White, a Texas Tech transfer, swatted the go-ahead homer shortly after.

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.

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