Mason Molina may be the best No. 3 starter in the country.
Molina, in his first season with the Diamond Hogs after transferring from Texas Tech, faced 17 batters and threw 81 pitches in his five innings of work. The only thing Michigan managed to do against him was draw a walk and get hit by a pitch.
Those exact two results on Arkansas’ side provided Molina with a 3-0 edge as he entered his fourth inning. Will Edmunson was plunked with the bases loaded and Kendall Diggs walked with them full, as well. That came after Ben McLaughlin opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first.
Michigan pulled one run back in the eighth and another two in the ninth to make things interesting. But Arkansas closer Koty Frank induced a flyball out with the bases loaded to end things.
McLaughlin and Jared Sprague-Lott each had two hits for Arkansas, which only registered five as a team overall. Diggs had the other.
Arkansas gets Monday off before Grambling visits Baum-Walker Stadium on Tuesday for a one-off game.